As of Wednesday night there was still no official cause for the fire that burned almost 20 acres near Pueblo Memorial Airport and destroyed five homes.
However, neighbors in the area of Barnett Road say they saw a single spark from a transformer light up the grass. The extreme winds carried the flames to homes nearby. Investigators are still looking into this.
For those living in the five homes that were affected it’s an emotional and very difficult time.
Steve Little said, "Honestly, I’ve been in a daze since yesterday. It’s just mind-numbing."
It’s hard to believe that only a day ago Little’s mobile home was standing on Barnett Road.
"I wasn’t able to salvage anything, total loss."
The fire ripped through his neighborhood, destroying his home and four others. In the rubble are some of Little’s most prized possessions: guitars, an amp, a motorcycle, bicycles, and rock band t-shirts.
"Some of that stuff you can’t replace it so it’s heartbreaking."
For Little, the most heartbreaking loss of all is his 18-year-old cat, Tiger.
"He was a tiger-striped tabby. He was an older cat, but he was just an adorable sweetheart. I couldn’t get in to get him out."
All the pictures of his cat are lost in the rubble as well.
Little is working through this tragedy as best he can and neighbor Barb Benedict is doing the same.
Benedict said, "You expect to come down and you see the blue house, and all of a sudden you don’t."
On Wednesday, Benedict pointed out what used to be her master bedroom.
"You generally can’t see through from one end to the other, but yeah, that’s what’s left of my headboard…this was my utility room and my nice washer and dryer."
Benedict’s home and everything inside it may be gone, but what the fire hasn’t taken is her unyielding spirit.
"I’m sad of course, but we’ll rise again. We rise. That’s what we do here. We’ll be okay."
Both Little and Benedict have insurance. They say they will rebuild on Barnett Road.
In the meantime, the Pueblo community is coming together to help victims like them.
The Red Cross is also lending a hand. If you lost your home in this fire and need lodging or other assistance call 800-417-0495.
