COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said the city will focus on more cleanup and enforcement efforts as he cautioned against the growing issue of fires caused by the local unhoused population.
On Thursday, a grassfire broke out near Garden of the Gods Rd and 30th Street, quickly growing to 20 acres during a windy and dangerous Red Flag Warning. A quick response from fire crews contained the blaze before it could damage any buildings or homes.
The fire began at an illegal campsite, according to Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) and Mayor Mobolade.
Police were able to trace the ignition to 48-year-old Adam Gilmour, who CSPD confirmed is homeless and was likely living in camps near where the fire started.
“The new No. 1 cause of wildfires in Colorado Springs is arson, which includes fires involving people experiencing homelessness,” said Mobolade on his social media. “In 2024, our Fire Department responded to 419 fires involving the unhoused, and we have already responded to 183 homeless fires just 73 days into 2025.”
In a quick-moving investigation, police announced Gilmour had been charged with fourth-degree arson Thursday night, less than 12 hours after the fire began.
Police said the person who called emergency crews about the fire indicated they may have seen a person starting the fire and leaving the area. Further investigation identified Gilmour as the man responsible. Gilmour was located nearby and taken into custody without incident.
CSPD said on social media he was 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.
However, online records do not list Gilmour as an inmate. It’s unclear why he isn’t appearing in search queries.
On social media, Mayor Mobolade said the city is focused on a “collaborative approach on enforcement.” He pointed to 132 homeless camp cleanups so far this year and called illegal camping and starting fires “unsafe for our community at large.”
“While we are diligent in our efforts to connect individuals to the services they need, it is equally important that we hold everyone accountable to the rule of law, especially when it could impact our community's safety,” the mayor said.
He said the city is working to get more accurate data on the Colorado Springs homeless population to better address the issues with “upstream solutions.”
The city’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count, which serves as a method to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in the city, showed well over 1100 unhoused people in the city - 259 of those were categorized as “unsheltered.”
The Thursday fire near Garden of the Gods was the second fire in the Pikes Peak region that day as the much larger Meridian Fire burned further east near Schriever Space Force Base.
The official cause of the Meridian Fire is considered accidental and still under investigation but was fully contained as of Saturday.
How to keep your credit card information safe from card skimmers
The Pueblo Police Department is warning people of card skimming happening at several locations across the Steel City. Card skimming is not a new crime, but Pueblo police say it's becoming increasingly common.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
