Early morning fire destroys home in east Pueblo

A home on the east side of Pueblo was destroyed in a fire early Wednesday morning, according to the Pueblo Fire Department.

Crews responded to the scene in an unspecified block of East Third Street around 3:20 a.m. and reported seeing fire on the second story of the unoccupied structure. Firefighters forced entry and searched the building, but noticed that a staircase to the second floor was missing, said Tim Trujillo, a spokesperson for the Pueblo Fire Department.

Crews then shifted to a defensive position to defend the structure immediately next to the one burning, Trujillo said. He noted that the next-door structure was "about 5 feet" from the burning house.

After making sure the fire would not jump to another structure, the firefighters shifted to attacking the fire and had it extinguished by 5 a.m. All crews were back in service by 6 a.m., Trujillo said.

The cause of the fire is unknown and no injuries were reported. Trujillo said the home was deemed to be a complete loss.

"With no one occupying the house, there is less need for a full investigation," Trujillo said. "If someone lost all their stuff, it would need to be investigated for insurance purposes but there was no one here."

When asked if the fire department suspects there may have been squatters in the unoccupied house, Trujillo replied that it was "a cold night," but the fire department "isn't going to put that blame on anyone."

Aside from firefighters, no one was seen entering or leaving the residence, Trujillo said.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Early morning fire destroys home in east Pueblo