Fire evacuation order lifted south of Fountain, 2 buildings destroyed
A fire located around 30 miles south of Colorado Springs prompted a brief evacuation order and destroyed two buildings on Monday.
The fire initially began in a residence and then spread to nearby grass, destroying an unoccupied outbuilding, according to a post on social media by the Hanover Fire Department. The half-mile-radius evacuation order near the El Paso-Pueblo county line expired less than two hours after it was issued around 4 p.m.
The fire in the Midway Ranches subdivision west of Interstate 25 grew from 2 acres to around 50 to 75 acres, according to the department. Firefighting crews will remain on scene to locate and extinguish hotspots until the fire is fully contained.
Residents in the area should be mindful of emergency responders and immediately report any visible flare-ups to 911.
The cause of the house fire remains under investigation.
The fire was a few miles west of where the 117 fire in April 2017 burned nearly 43,000 acres and destroyed 18 homes.
Monday’s high temperature in Colorado Springs reached 72 degrees.
Stay with gazettedev.gazette.com for updates on this developing story.