COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department says no charges are expected for a woman who dropped a cigarette into a mulch pot outside her townhome, igniting a fire that burned 20 units.
The Gazette reports that the fire at Sunstone Townhomes displaced 68 people on Monday, nine of them visitors, and killed at least two dogs. Multiple pets were still missing earlier this week.
Fire Marshal Brett Lacey told the City Council that the woman's "intent was not to start a fire; her intent was to extinguish a cigarette." Lacey says the act was accidental, not criminal.
Officials said the fire was intensified when heat from the flames exposed a gas line that acted like a flamethrower. Fire spokesman Brian Vaughan says it's not a common occurrence to have that happen.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com
