Crews cite inadequate water infrastructure as major issue in Black Forest house fire Christmas Day

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. -- Black Forest Fire Rescue is still investigating a house fire that started Christmas morning northeast of Colorado Springs.

They were initially sent to the wrong address by El Paso County Dispatch, and when they arrived to the correct location, the house was already 75% engulfed in flames.  

Black Forest Fire Rescue says they're still trying to figure out the cause of the blaze.

"The only thing I know at this time is that we had a fire in the 13500 block of Bridle Bit, and it was a residential structure," said Black Forest Fire Training Captain Chris Piepenburg.

All four people in the home were accounted for, but one person did have burn injuries and had to be flown out to Denver for treatment . 

Black Forest Fire says a total of seven different agencies arrived to help extinguish the flames. But because of inadequate water infrastructure in the Black Forest area, it was a big challenge. 

Fire crews now are asking developers in the Black Forest area to address the water supply issues.

They are also calling on home owners in wooded areas to make sure their home is safe in case of fire.  

"So when we have fires in structures, we hope the folks have done their job by keeping a defensible space around their house that we don’t get tree involvement, or any involvement into the forest itself," said Piepenburg.