CASTLE ROCK - Officials say a partially lit cigarette may be to blame for a house fire that spread to two different homes and left one person injured Monday afternoon.
The two-alarm fire started at a home located at 4484 Decatur Ave., near Founders Park, around 4:30 p.m. and then spread to a home next door. The first home was destroyed; about 30 percent of the second home was damaged, according to a spokesperson for the town of Castle Rock.
Officials say an occupant of one of the homes had smoked on the back deck of the residence earlier in the day and then tossed the cigarette out in a plastic container, which appears to have ignited the blaze. However, authorities continue to investigate, but the extensive damage has hindered the investigation.
There were people inside both homes at the time of the blaze. Everyone got outside safely, as well as two bulldogs in the first home. A woman who lives in the second home, 4460 Decatur Ave., went back to her home to get her children out. She was taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation.
A total of five adults and four children were displaced by the fire, according to the American Red Cross.
The town spokesperson says about a dozen adjacent homes were evacuated as a precaution, but those residents were allowed to return to their homes shortly after 6 p.m. About 30 personnel from the Parker, Franktown and South Metro Fire departments responded.