Firefighters again called to hills above Bristol
For the second time in three months March 5, Colorado Springs firefighters had to fight a fire in the hilly terrain between North Walnut Street and Manitou Boulevard.
The latest blaze blackened about an acre of grass above Bristol Elementary but did not endanger the school or any houses in the area because the fire moved uphill and away from them, according to City Fire spokesperson J.J. Halsey. The cause and point of origin are not known. We're classifying it as suspicious, Halsey said. It was in an open field with no obvious ignition sources. Our conclusion is that it was man-made. The 911 call came in at 3:51 p.m. Responding stations were 2, 3, 5 and 6, with about 40 firefighters in all. The initial response was slightly delayed because the 911 call had incorrectly identified the site as being off Uintah Street and Mesa Road. Then firefighters had to park their trucks below the bluffs near the school, connect the hoses to their trucks' water supplies, and hike up the hill to douse the flames. Fortunately, the fire was not moving fast - despite gusting winds and dry conditions - because it was in an area of mostly rocky terrain, Halsey said. On the night of Jan. 21, firefighters had been called to battle six small grass fires farther west, near the Springs Utilities water tower. Those blazes also have been classified as suspicious, with the perpetrator(s) as yet unknown. Westside Pioneer article |