Peyton fire possibly caused by sparks from faulty vehicle; neighbors reflect on close call

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO)- A 38-acre fire that burned one home and several outbuildings in Peyton on Sunday may have been caused by a faulty car creating sparks on the road, according to the Falcon Fire Department.

There's no official word yet, and the fire is still under investigation, but Falcon Fire Chief Jon Webb says preliminary information points to a vehicle causing sparks and leading to the fire.

Around 5 p.m. Sunday, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced multiple crews were responding to a fire near Curtis Rd. and Patton Dr. in Peyton that forced the evacuation of homes in the area of Curtis Rd, Peyton Hwy, Falcon Hwy, and Hwy 94.

Monday, KRDO spoke with one resident who came within feet of losing his home.

Gerald Latour lives next to the home that burned down on Patton Dr. Sunday, he grabbed his three dogs, got in his car, and evacuated.

When he left, Latour didn't know if his house would make it. However, despite under a mandatory evacuation, he decided to turn back.

"I came back to the property on foot and grabbed my garden hose and started watering down my property," says Latour.

According to Latour, the fire came within feet of him while he was watering his property.

He's lived on the street in Peyton for more than 40 years, but only in the last couple of years has the fire danger begun to pick up.

While this isn't the first time he's had to evacuate his home, he's had to evacuate two other times in a little more than two years.

"Last night was the one. I thought, like, there was so much smoke covering my property, and I couldn't tell from a long-distance whether that was just smoke or fire behind it," Latour explains.

Despite the recent close calls, Latour said he's retired and loves living in Peyton.

"It's a mother nature thing, so moving to me, not in question to me," he told KRDO.

While Latour's house was spared and he's back now with his dogs, his neighbor's lost house is a reminder of what could've happened.

"I was lucky three times, and I hope I never see another fire."