The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) responded to a grass fire near Garden of the Gods and 30th Street on March 13 before 3 p.m. By around 4:30 p.m., the fire had spread to about 20 acres, but the CSFD posted on X that it was 100 percent contained.
Around 40 CSFD personnel responded to the incident and kept the fire from reaching homes. The department reported that three homes were threatened, but no evacuations were ordered.
CSFD said that 30th Street between Garden of the Gods Road and Mesa will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Garden of the Gods was not impacted, though Palmer Mesa Trail (from Sinton Trail) is closed at this time.
The fire department said that they received 65 calls from community members reporting the fire. The department posted that one 911 caller, who called at around 2:41 p.m., said that they “possibly saw the person responsible for starting the fire who fled the area.”
CSFD Engine 9 arrived soon after and the crew noticed “potential evidence,” which they were able to preserve until CSFD investigators and CSPD officers arrived on scene. The point of origin for the fire appeared to be a makeshift campsite.
At 10:04 p.m. last night, CSFD said that 48-year-old Adam Gilmour was in custody and was charged with 4th-degree arson related to the grass fire. He was taken into custody without incident and, after being medically cleared, booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on other unrelated felony and misdemeanor warrants, along with a new charge of felony arson and misdemeanor possession of narcotics.
At 9:17 a.m. yesterday morning before the fire began, CSFD posted on X that the National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag Warning in the Colorado Springs Area on March 13 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. “We can expect gusty winds with low relative humidity,” the post said. “This weather makes for rapid fire spread. Please refrain from any outdoor burning activity!”
This fire was one of several grass and structure fires that CSFD responded to in Colorado Springs yesterday.
