‘That was an eyeopener’: 12-year-old charged with arson in connection to El Paso Co. grass fire

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The El Paso County Sheriff's Office tells KRDO13 Investigates a 12-year-old child was charged with 4th degree arson in connection to a small grass fire started in an El Paso County neighborhood.

A neighbor living right across the street from the blaze shared this footage with KRDO13 Investigates. The video shows a young boy kneeling down on a path of dry grass to do something.

Less than a minute later, a small, dark, burn spot appears in the same place where the child was kneeling.

Three minutes later, the fire had grown exponentially. The fire department arrived 18 minutes after the time when the child knelt in the grass, extinguishing the blaze shortly thereafter.

"That was like an eye opener, that's how quickly something can happen," Cindy Daniel told KRDO13 Investigates. Daniel said she came to visit her parents and grandma, who live just two lots down from where the fire started.

"With the Meridian Fire just happening, I was concerned for their safety, to make sure that they were prepared to evacuate," Daniel said.

Michael Cantin lives directly across the street from where the fire burned.

"This time of year is not a good time for people to be playing with matches," Cantin said. "Until the grass greens up, we're in a higher fire danger."

A local attorney tells KRDO13 the child could face up to two years in a juvenile detention center if convicted.