Space heater, hoarding cited as factors in west Colorado Springs house fire Monday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- Investigators revealed Monday evening that a house fire was caused by a space heater being placed too close to combustible materials.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department also said that crews encountered "very heavy hoarding conditions" -- belongings and items piled high inside and outside the home -- that required additional resources and time to carefully and safely assess the situation.

Spokesperson Ashley Franco said that firefighters responded to the West Side home, near the intersection of 27th Street and Bott Avenue, just before 9:30 a.m.

The situation left nearly 40 fire personnel wondering what exactly was burning, where it was burning and what substances they might be exposed to.

“(They were) cutting holes, making sure we were getting into the walls to see exactly where that fire started," she explained.

Investigators said that flames spread through most of the home and the interior walls; the fire was declared under control by 11 a.m.

A woman who lives at the home was not present at the time and was staying with a neighbor Monday night.

The fire killed three of her four pets -- two cats and a dog -- and apparently caused a third cat to run away before it was safely returned.

"We don't encounter hoarding fires often, but it's a situation our firefighters train for," Franco said. "We know that they pose pretty big dangers to our crew, so we want to make sure that we're being as safe as we possibly can."

Firefighters also faced challenges of keeping the fire from spreading to trees around the home, as well as to a home on each side and a mobile home park in the rear.

The Fire Department said that hoarding conditions can pose a significant risk to firefighters, as fire can spread into small spaces -- making it difficult to locate the fire and causing it to spread.

Those conditions can also block obstructed exits, lead to falling objects and cause excessive fire-loading that can, in some cases, result in a structure's collapse.

The Fire Department recommends the following tips to heat your home safely:

*Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn
*Place the heater on a solid, flat surface
*Make sure your heater has an auto shut-off so it turns off if it tips over
*Plug space heaters directly into a wall, never use an extension cord
*Space heaters should be turned off and unplugged when you leave the room or go to bed