Centennial house fire sparked after family made smores in fire pit on wooden deck

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) — A Centennial family is looking for a new place to live after a fire destroyed their rental home on the 6100 block of South Kirk Street early Sunday morning.

South Metro Fire Rescue said the fire was sparked by an unattended fire pit on a wooden deck.

“We all had smores out on the back porch,” said Alycia Klineschmidt who lives in the house with her husband and two young children. Her husband works at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora.

She says they went to sleep but woke up around 2 a.m.

“I woke up and I looked and there was just like a wall of fire outside the kitchen window,” Klineschmidt said.

The family got out alright but their two hairless cats still have not been found, and they hope neighbors will watch out for them.

“We’re still looking for them. We are hoping that they made it out,” Klineschmidt said.

The family is not exactly sure how the fire spread but they want others to be aware and be cautious.

“It was just embers, there were no flames when we left,” she said.

Several counties including Arapahoe County have Stage 1 fire restrictions in place that prohibit open fires, but Brian Willie, with South Metro Fire Rescue, says fire pits are allowed with a responsible person over age 18.

“The big thing is when you are done using that fire, to just to make sure it is fully extinguished. Also, we recommend not using it on a wood deck,” Willie said.

The family’s renter’s insurance is helping them get through this and friends have set up this GoFundMe to help cover their expenses.

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