Grass fire threatens dozens of homes in southern El Paso County

A fast-moving grass fire threatened more than a dozen homes in southern El Paso County Monday morning.

The fire broke out just before 1 a.m. a few miles southwest of Pikes Peak International Raceway.

In total 5 acres burned, evacuating 20 homes in the area.

“It’s been horrible, so horrible,” said Mary Woodruff, who lives nearby. “I watched it go down the hill.”

This is the seventh fire that’s burned in the Midway area so far this year.

“I’m grateful no one got hurt and nobody lost their home,” said Helen Marsh, a neighbor living in the area.

Thirty firefighters from Hanover, Security, Fountain, Colorado Springs, and El Paso County Wildland Fire all responded.

“We went through to pick up the ashes and embers to mitigate what we can,” said Carl Tatum, Hanover’s Fire Chief.

Tatum called this fire a “hot fire”, also known as a clean burn. It’s most likely caused by wind, dry grass, and low humidity levels.

It’s still unclear on the exact cause, that’s under investigation.

Refresh this page for updates.