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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A grass fire ripped through Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs Thursday afternoon.

The park is located off 21st Street in the southwest part of the city.

The two alarm fire burned about five acres before firefighters were able to put it out.

Firefighters said the fire was fueled by strong winds, and they were concerned because there are a lot of homes near the park.

"Within a few minutes it had grown like three times its size, and I was like 'oh God' because of all that wind," Anthony Cardenas, who lives nearby, said.

People who were enjoying the park and nearby residents watched as firefighters worked to put out the flames on the hill.

"It's normal to have people who are interested, it's kind of spectacular to watch" Lt. Carl Miller with the Colorado Springs Fire Department said.

He said while it may be spectacular, it's also dangerous.

"Winds can shift and flames can shift very quickly, so it's real important that you stay back," Miller said. "We've got apparatus coming into the scene and moving at any given time. We want to make sure that kids are out of the way, and we wanna make sure that you're safe first of all, and then you don't get in the way of what we're trying to accomplish."

Crews worked quickly to surround the fire and credited a recent fire mitigation project with helping them stop it.

"We just did a fire mitigation effort here at Bear Creek just a few months ago," Sallie Clark, El Paso County Commissioner District 3, said. "Some of the folks were concerned about the vegetation that we removed, but thankfully we did that because I think it's really helped in this particular situation."

Nearby residents applauded fire crews for their efforts.

"They put it out really quickly, they did a really good job" Cardenas said.

Firefighters said although the city isn't currently under a burn ban, people still need to be extra careful.

"We're not gonna be out of the fire danger for quite awhile, so want to keep that in mind when you're barbecuing, when you've got your recreational fires in the backyard, things like that," Miller said.

Firefighters believe the fire was set intentionally and are asking anyone with information to call 719-385-7374.

Crews will patrol the area Thursday night and Friday morning to make sure the fire doesn't start up again.
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Original Story:

A fire burning on the hill above Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs is spreading thanks to strong winds and dry ground.

Officials with the Colorado Springs Police Department said no structures are threatened, but smoke can be seen from several spots throughout the city.

Officials described it as a moderate moving fire spreading southeast. They originally said flames were visible, and the fire was about 100 square feet.

Police have closed southbound 21st Street at Rio Grande Street.

Wildland fire crews are on the scene working to get the fire under control.