Fire Destroys House In Peyton
Firefighters said a house in Peyton was destroyed Tuesday when flames erupted at a home on Cathys Loop, near Highway 94 and Curtis Road in El Paso County.
The call came in just after 12:30 p.m.
Firefighters said they searched the home twice as it burned and did not find anyone inside. There was no car in the garage, firefighters said, leading them to believe no one was home. The owner, an elderly man who firefighters said is deaf, returned home at about 2:30 p.m.
“The first unit on the scene went through the front doors to look for him,” said neighbor Sandy Hudson.
Vernon Champlin, a battalion chief with the Falcon Fire Department, said the fire intensified while they took time to look for people in the home. He said he contacted the Peyton and Ellicott volunteer fire departments for assistance, but by then they could only fight the fire defensively to keep it from spreading.
Because of the home’s rural location, there were no hydrants nearby, and water had to be shuttled to the scene in tank trucks, which further delayed getting enough water on the fire, said Champlin.
“We cover 133 square miles with just two fire stations,” Champlin said. “Because of resources and funding, we had two people on duty at each of those stations when we should have had three. What hampered us was simply (having) short staffing, and (being) short on water supply.”
Some neighbors said the house could have been saved, had firefighters used water from nearby sources.
“There are farm lands around here,” said a neighbor who wanted to be identified only as Mike. “There’s ways they can get water here quicker. They can ask farmers.”
Champlin disagreed.
“Most of the (farmers’) ponds don’t facilitate dry hydrant connections,” said Champlin. “(Farmers) don’t provide access to those ponds. Those owners don’t have agreements with (us) to utilize that stuff. We can’t just go on private property, break locks and trespass.”
The Red Cross arrived to help the homeowner find temporary shelter. The cause of the fire and a damage estimate were undetermined as of Tuesday night.
