Colorado Springs house fire sparks conversation about dry conditions

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A fire broke out in the back of house on the east side of Colorado Springs around 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.

The fire was in the the 1300 block of Clemson Drive and was sparked by an unattended smoking apparatus. CSFD said there was one occupant in the residence at the time but they were able to evacuate with their pets safely. There was some damage to the back of the house and the attic, fire officials said.

The fire's cause is one firefighters are seeing more frequently and CSFD said people need to be more careful about throwing cigarette butts into dry grassland because they're sparking several grass fires recently.

CSFD Lt. Aaron McConnellogue said the current drought conditions encourage rapid fire growth in Southern Colorado and across the state.

"We haven’t been getting the moisture that we need so we are getting quite a few fires that are growing very quickly. The fuel level is really extreme right now so it’s definitely something that the fire department is very concerned about, McConnellogue said.