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Lack Of Fire Hydrants, Frigid Temps Make Fighting House Fire Difficult

By Melissa Garcia

BENNETT, Colo. (CBS4)- Investigators were forced to wait to determine what caused a fire that destroyed a home in Bennett on Friday because the home was in danger of collapsing.

Investigators could not confirm to CBS4 whether there was a marijuana grow operation in the basement.

bennett-house-fire
(credit: CBS)

The home, located about eight miles South of Bennett at 3016 S. Kiowa-Bennett Road in unincorporated Arapahoe County, was believed to be a total loss.bennett-fire-map

"There aren't any fire hydrants nearby so that makes fighting fires a big challenge when we need a lot of water," said South Metro Fire Rescue spokesman Eric Hurst.

Two adults, a man and a woman, live in the home. They were able to make it out of the home safely.

Hurst said the location of the home paired with frigid temperatures made the fire fight that much harder.

"In this case, we have trucks that are specifically designed to go fill up with water and bring water back to the scene. And that's about an 18 minute drive. So the trucks had to go get water, fill up, which is a long process and a difficult process for them. Especially with the icy and snowy conditions," said Hurst.

bennett-fire
A fire destroyed a home in Bennett (credit: South Metro Fire)

Portions of the home collapsed after fire crews dumped tens of thousands of gallons of water on the burning home. Nine fire departments responded to the large fire with about 50 firefighters and deputies battling the blaze.

Firefighters were called to the burning home just after noon Friday when a passerby noticed the flames shooting from the basement and called 911. When crews arrived they found thick black smoke and flames coming from the home.

No one was injured in the fire.

Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.

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