Brush fire ignites near mobile home park

With major wildfires burning in several parts of the Southwest, a small fire Wednesday in Colorado Springs was a reminder of how high the local fire danger is.

At about 6:30 p.m., a quarter-acre area of trees and vegetation burned on the banks of Monument Creek near a mobile home park on Sunflower Road. The fire initially created so much smoke that firefighters were unsure of the size of the blaze.

Firefighters had the fire under control by 7:30 p.m., and say the mobile home park was not threatened.

Troy Branham, a battalion chief with the Colorado Springs fire department, said the fire would have spread faster if it hadn’t been near the creek, where conditions for growth were less favorable. Branham said firefighters cut down a dead tree in the area that could have fueled the flames.

The fire’s cause is unknown.

The location was near the Goose Gossage Youth Sports Complex but did not interfere with activities there.