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PEYTON, COLO. -- Firefighters lost a battle against a burning home Tuesday afternoon in eastern El Paso County.

Fire officials said living out east is risky because resources are limited.

Firefighters had to haul in water to fight the flames, and they said it's a common process out east.

"The further we get out rurally the hydrants aren't there," Lt. Sean Tafoya with the Falcon Fire District said. 

In areas without fire hydrants flames are free to run wild until water can be hauled in by firefighters 2,000 gallons at a time.

"It can take anywhere between three and eight minutes, upwards to 10 minutes at times depending on our staffing levels," Tafoya said.

Once the water is on scene and dumped into a portable tank, the trucks can go back to the hydrants for more water.

"They shuttle water back and forth continuously until the fire is out or we don't need the water anymore," Tafoya said.

Tafoya said when fighting fires, every second counts.

"The rate of spread is tremendous with fire. With today's homes being built lighter, plastics, couch cushions, carpet fiber, it just burns fast, and it burns hot, so if we don't get to the seat of the fire quickly it spreads, and usually it takes over the whole house," he said.

Homeowners in the area said they understand the risk of making a home outside of town and know the likelihood of their home being saved during a fire is slim.

"That's the risk you take living out in a rural environment. You try to keep sort of a fire breaker around your own house but if the house, goes, there's probably not much you can do," Mike Arndt, who lives out east, said.

Firefighters said they often can't attack the fire because of limited resources, so they work to contain it after making sure everyone is okay.

"We're just there to basically contain it. Make sure it doesn't leave the property, property conservation, incident stabilization, and first and foremost life safety," Tafoya said.

Tafoya suggested homeowners out east should make sure that their house numbers are clearly displayed so firefighters can easily find their home. He also said they can help by keeping driveways and roads clear and wide enough for fire trucks to get through.