(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A fire that sparked in the area of Hancock Expressway and Transit Drive Friday morning, Jan. 27, was the result of a propane fueled stove left unattended in a homeless camp, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).
CSPD said police officers and firefighters with the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) originally responded to the ‘Transit Fire’ in an open space around 5:36 a.m.
CSPD said numerous calls were received for a large fire south of the intersection of South Hancock Expressway and Transit Drive. When firefighters arrived, they found a large fire on a property jointly owned by the City of Colorado Springs and Evergreen Cemetery.
After CSFD worked to put out the fire, arson investigators linked it to a propane fueled stove found in an unoccupied homeless camp nearby. No residential structures were threatened because of the fire, and approximately .16 acres burned as a result of the fire.
CSPD estimated the resulting property damage at $5,000, and added that no suspects had been identified.
Anyone with information or who is a witness to this incident is asked to call CSPD at (719) 444-7000; or to remain anonymous, call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.