News5 spoke with the Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District when they were on the ground helping with the wildfires in LA Now that the crew is back here in Colorado Springs we followed with them about the lessons they have learned and how they are going to use that to help fight wildfires here in Colorado to see so many homes devastated and to see the amount of destruction that had already happened at that point was a very sobering effect," said AJ Patalano a Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District Engineer The Stratmoor Fire Protection District was called out to help with the LA fires nearly a month ago He tells News5 he and his team had to overcome many challenges and include this apparatus is the size of our rig making sure the communication was on point at all times," he said He said they also had to get creative fighting a fire of that size and it's normally used for forcible entry in the structural world and we used it as a turnkey to turn water off to homes." Stratmoor Hills may be a smaller fire department but they had the experience to fight the fires in LA He emphasizes that our community can help prevent wildfires by cleaning up dead trees But if you take 10 minutes and come up with a plan of if I clean up this tree and make this area more accessible in my yard I know the hydrant by my house is covered by bushes That's a huge benefit to all of us," said Patalano The fire district is now planning to gather all their photos and videos from the LA fires to make a training documentary to help other firefighters it's worth noting that service members who retire and then teach at the Academy are considered civilian instructors 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 Report a typo Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCOLORADO SPRINGS firefighters from the Stratmoor Hills Fire District packed up and made their way to Southern California to help battle the wildfires tearing across the western coast The fire district said their leading team consists of Engine Boss John Ortiz Patalano and Firefighter Type 2 Sam Allison The destructive wildfires have been tearing through the Los Angeles area. As of Wednesday afternoon more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed and at least five lives have been lost Stratmoor Hills Fire Chief Shawn Bittle spoke with KKTV 11 News about the decision to send their crews to California make a positive impact on stopping that fire and giving some relief to those firefighters in LA and the surrounding areas and really just do our part to make it a better place,” Bittle said Bittle said wildland fire deployments are typically around 21 days but they could possibly be in California longer if more work and manpower is needed They made the truck available for dispatch at 9 a.m. "To think about the situation that those firefighters are in right now “They must be mentally taxed because it’s in their home— in their home city." The firefighters are expected to arrive in California around noon on Thursday where they will be told where they are most needed to start fighting the fires and you know we always are willing to respond to help our brothers and sisters across the country,” Bittle said (KRDO) - One firefighter from El Paso County took the initiative to create a crew and head west to help out the firefighters who are fighting the wildfires in Southern California and has resulted in at least four injured firefighters John Ortiz is with the Stratmoor Hills Fire District and says he knew he needed to act quickly when he saw the wildfires in Southern California I really think we should go ahead and roster 418 our type three wildland-urban interface engine Ortiz said he was glad they got a fast approval.       "Sometimes when we make ourselves available sometimes it's a couple of days before we get This was within a couple hours," said Ortiz The fire chief went into detail and told KRDO13 why this type of engine would help the firefighters when they got to Southern California "That truck is designed its four-wheel drive So they can drive the fire truck and pump water at the same time And it's it's built to be able to handle that rough terrain," said Bittle The team will help out with the Eaton Fire but first they'll check in at the incident command post that's located at the Rose Bowl before they can head out We'll start getting a better understanding of the assignment," said Ortiz. "It is most definitely our privilege and our honor to come out here to California and help out with that." The fire crew will be in Southern California for 21 days But if they do need to stay there a little bit longer And then the four firefighters will return to Colorado And then another four will rotate out to go back to Southern California Karla Sosa is a bilingual multimedia journalist for KRDO13. Learn more about her here. KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications | KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | Contest Rules COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado firefighters are responding to a request for help at the wildfires around Los Angeles An engine and crew of four from the Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District arrived in L.A “They will direct them where their most urgent need is for the apparatus and they will respond and start fighting fire,” said Stratmoor Hills Fire Chief California has extensive wildfire resources The call for extra help from other states speaks to the gravity of the situation in L.A Los Angeles is also a highly populated area with a large number of day-to-day calls still requiring fire agency response “They are juggling both these wildfires and their normal call load through the 911 system,” said Colorado Springs Deputy Chief “Although California is a very large state with a lot of resources while we're sending one engine out to assist we also have a responsibility to our community to maintain fire protection and emergency medical services,” said Bittle Four other Colorado fire agencies are also part of the call to help in California each sent an engine and crew to fight the Southern California fires One of Colorado’s Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) is assisting with flyovers tracking and mapping fires More Colorado fire agencies are on standby and ready to go if needed (KKTV) - Over 1,000 people were without power Tuesday night in southern Colorado Springs Colorado Springs Utilities said as of 9:05 p.m. 1,303 customers in the Stratmoor Hills area were impacted Utilities reported an estimated restoration time of 12:55 a.m Click here for live updates. A yes vote on Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6B would be a vote in favor of increasing taxes in the district by $769,578.01 annually set to begin being collected in the calendar year of 2025 A no vote on Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6B would be a vote against increasing taxes in the district The revenue from the taxes raised would go towards Daily Weather Report Powered By: Fire trucks parked outside of base station at the Rose Bowl (Courtesy of Stratmoor Fire) Even as high winds and dry conditions led to a worsening wildfire outlook for Southern Calif… Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Stories you've missed since your last login: Recommended stories based on your interests: FOX21 News Colorado https://www.fox21news.com/news/local/police-presence-at-home-in-stratmoor-neighborhood/ FOX21 Storm Team latest forecast - Sunday May 4th A very rainy next few days are expected with thunderstorms and even some snow Tuesday should be the highest impact day with up to a couple of feet snow possible for our mountain peaks Temperatures will be in the 50s through Wednesday Significant water (snow for some) on the way to southern Colorado through the middle of the week A storm is set to bring a lot of water to Colorado through the middle of the week FOX21 Storm Team latest forecast - Saturday May 3rd An active stretch of weather is in the forecast with rain chances and thunderstorm chances likely almost every day this week Highs on Sunday will be in the 70s but will drop to the 50s early next week Get outside while you can on Saturday because this is the last day that will be dry Highs will be in the 70s on Saturday with mostly sunny skies Then we turn our attention to a very rainy pattern starting Sunday night A nice start to the weekend ahead of a significant storm next week We see the return of afternoon showers and thunderstorms for your Wednesday but as we get into Thursday we could see periods of heavy rain and even flurries Meteorologist Megan Montero has the forecast CO — A fire at a homeless camp in Stratmoor Hills early Monday morning could have been much worse Firefighters were called to the area of Hampton South and Chamberlin South northwest of the interchange of I-25 and S they found a homeless camp where several vehicles propane tanks and other objects were on fire Stratmoor Hills Fire Chief Shawn Bittle told KOAA News5's Andy Koen that as many as 50 propane tanks exploded because of the heat from the flames During the process of trying to put out the fire the Sheriff's office had deputies working to evacuate people from the homeless camp We're told several of them refused to leave According to the Stratmoor Hills Fire Department around 40 firefighters and half a dozen members of law enforcement were working the line into the early hours of the morning At this time it appears that no one was injured during the fire The homeless camp is surrounded on all sides by homes and apartments Firefighters say the fire likely would have spread into the the nearby neighborhoods had the fire danger been high The fire is currently still under investigation and due to the damage and nature of the fire the department believes the exact cause will be hard to pin down the department believes that the fire origin came from inside one of the RVs on the property The camp is located on private property and the people living at the camp had permission to be there El Paso County said there isn't much they can do because the land is privately owned They also addressed their plans for dealing with homeless camps moving forward 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 the need was clear: El Paso County fire departments needed more tools to limit out-of-control fires in homeless camps It was late 2022 and Bittle’s department just south of Colorado Springs had recently dealt with a massive encampment fire that saw vehicles, tents and other shelters set ablaze, as well as the explosion of as many as 50 propane tanks.  He had watched the camp grow for months and warned of what he saw as a fire danger.  "I have no problem with people trying to survive and live but they have to do it in a safe manner that doesn't cause danger to other people,” Bittle said firefighters cannot conduct direct enforcement of fire codes That responsibility falls to the county.  The encampment was on private property with an owner willingly allowing people to stay on his land And while Bittle said his firefighters had visited the property multiple times to answer medical emergencies and had not met resistance from the landowner they felt there wasn’t much he could do about the fire risk Bittle said the county did not respond to repeated requests for help Between October 1 and the end of last year the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded to 246 homeless fires Bittle said his Stratmoor Hills Fire District ran 196 emergency fire calls for fires set in encampments in 2023 “We had seven fires in one night,” said Hanover Fire District chief Carl Tatum.  law enforcement had previously responded to service calls nearly 70 times And Bittle’s department had been called there more than three dozen times without the authority to address the root fire hazards.  Weather conditions led to low fire danger at the time of the 2022 blaze and the fire did not impact other nearby homes On October 25, 2022, two weeks after the fire at the Stratmoor Hills encampment, Bittle told the El Paso County Board of Commissioners during a public hearing that he and other local fire chiefs saw growing local homelessness as a major public safety hazard.  Without greater cooperation from the county in enforcing fire code violations or greater authority given to fire officials Bittle said his department could only watch as fire hazards grew “The El Paso County Fire Chiefs Council is very concerned that our next major county fire conflagration will start from another unregulated and unsafe homeless camp,” Bittle told commissioners Chief Bittle called for the formation of a committee or task force during this public meeting and commissioners signaled their support for such a group and for working toward solutions.  Let’s get together,” said Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez Jr El Paso County fire departments formed the Homeless Fire Task Force to find ways to curb the growing problem of fire danger in the encampments of the Pikes Peak Region According to Bittle and four other regional fire chiefs contacted for this story the group began meeting in late-2022 and continued through mid-2023 They said multiple county staff attended the meetings ranging from code enforcement to county attorney’s office staff along with representatives from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department Their goal was to create a mechanism — either through county ordinance or drafted legislation given to state lawmakers — to inform property owners who allow encampments that they would be held liable for the damages resulting from fire safety hazards or toxic materials on their property “The property owners have to take responsibility and have to be held accountable for creating those unsafe environments that could affect the livelihoods of other citizens in our district or our county," Bittle said.  county staff told the task force the idea was untenable Fire chiefs told CPR News that county staff would not work with them on crafting a proposal The chiefs said no county commissioners attended any of the meetings.  “The initial understanding was that the commissioners would engage more deeply as plans and strategies became more developed,” said Vernon Stewart El Paso County Communications Department executive director “We threw our hands up in the air,” said Kevin Junglen task force member and Hanover Fire Protection District deputy chief Bittle said the message from the county was that the issue of homelessness was an increasingly contentious one and such an ordinance change would not be seen as compassionate to people experiencing homelessness “We recognize the challenges in finding actionable solutions that align with the law and the diverse interests of all stakeholders,” Stewart said in his statement.  CEO of Colorado Springs homeless services provider Westside CARES but was skeptical of the proposals put forth.  Milligan suggested it would be better to invest in efforts to move people out of homelessness altogether “It has become increasingly ordinary to respond to homelessness — and the attendant challenges and dangers thereof — by enacting policy and laws that criminalize homelessness and maximize the liberty of enforcement officials,” Milligan said in an emailed statement “My experience tells me that no one is sleeping outside and starting a fire just to stay alive because they have a better option,” she wrote Stewart pointed to several measures the county has taken to try to address out-of-control warming fires including the appointment of a code enforcement officer specifically dedicated to encampments in partnership with the city of Colorado Springs as well as a program which partially subsidizes encampment cleanup costs for landowners Firefighters argue those measures aren’t enough and won’t make a dent in the increasing problems they’re seeing with encampment fires Bittle described the task force as an earnest attempt from the chiefs to find solutions but the county’s unwillingness to move forward left them feeling shocked “When the situation occurs and the big fire happens and properties are lost that is not the time to create a task force on homeless camp fires,” Bittle said Southern Colorado is 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All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy (KRDO) -- Crews with the Stratmoor Hills Fire Department responded early Monday morning to a large fire at a homeless camp northeast of Fort Carson Gate 3 Crews responded to the area of Fairway South and Greensboro South This is just east of Stratmoor Hills Elementary School on the other side of B St Chief Shawn Bittle says this particular homeless camp has been well-known in the area for at least two years now We're told that a propane tank exploded in the camp Dozens of smaller explosions were reported during this incident Three RVs and a boat burned and are considered total losses Surrounding vehicles and campers sustained some damage as well 40 firefighters were called in to battle the flames Everyone in the camp got out without injury It's believed that approximately 25 people live in the camp The property owner had given permission for some of the homeless individuals to live there Those individuals reportedly then invited more people to set up camp on the property The Sheriff's Office said they can't remove anyone from the property unless they are given orders by the courts to do KRDO has learned that the county is now challenging these living arrangements in court Stratmoor is a Colorado Springs suburb just south of the city Part of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area this census-designated place (CDP) sits at an elevation of 5,787 feet along the southern front range mountains This unincorporated community is part of El Paso County. In 2020 it had a population of 6,518 people. In 2014 the City of Fountain annexed a 60-acre slice of the Stratmoor CDP located by I-25 off exit 135 as well as a  Sam’s Club and Walmart Copyright © 2025 · Free Colorado Travel Guide | Vacations, Travel and Tourism · All Rights Reserved CO — A power outage on the south side of Colorado Springs affected over 1,000 customers Wednesday afternoon Colorado Springs Utilities was aware of the situation and was able to get power restored by 4:20 p.m They say that the power outage was caused by a vehicle that crashed into a transformer CSU expected to have all power restored to customers by 6:40 p.m You can always check on the status of utilities in your area at the Colorado Springs Utilities Outage Map COLORADO SPRINGS — The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect in an early morning shooting in the Stratmoor Hills area on Wednesday A deputy provided life-saving measures and was able to control the bleeding before medical personnel arrived The adult victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries The sheriff's office said there is no threat to the community and that this was an isolated incident The sheriff's office is searching for 33-year-old Zachary Joseph Brockmann who has been identified as a suspect in this case approximately 6'1" tall with brown hair and brown eyes Authorities say he is armed and considered dangerous If you have any information on the whereabouts of Brockmann or any information related to this incident you are asked to please contact our Communications Center at 719-390-5555 or the Investigations Tip Line at 719-520-6666 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInA man is in custody following an hours-long standoff with SWAT and El Paso County deputies just southeast of Colorado Springs Domestic violence suspect David Miller is now looking at a slew of other charges after allegedly barricading himself inside at Stratmoor-area home and taking another man hostage The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says the ordeal started when a bondsman went to a home in the 1100 block of Maxwell Street to arrest Miller on a warrant Miller instead locked himself inside a garage and for the next six hours refused to surrender -- despite an escalating scene outside as deputies and crisis negotiators surrounded the home "We are operating as if he is armed and dangerous," El Paso County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Natalie Sosa told reporters while the situation was still active Miller reportedly has a long criminal history including charges for burglary and weapons Families in the area were advised to remain indoors while the situation unfolded The hostage was eventually released unharmed No injuries were reported for law enforcement during the standoff but it's not clear if he suffered any injuries Jail records Monday morning show a David Miller being held without bond Colo (KRDO) -- An arrest affidavit reveals the suspect who killed an 84-year-old woman in Stratmoor Hills had a history of drinking and harassing members of the household The suspect 58-year-old Rhaiyanna Earley had moved into the house on the 1600 block of Maxwell Street about two months before the shooting Deputies identified the victim as an at-risk woman named Christine Rush who also lived at the same residence Earley would often get into arguments and physical fights with Rush and Elrod told deputies he often had to break up the fights Earley had been stealing personal items from members inside the household to harass them Elrod was trying to get Earley to move out and even offered some financial assistance witnesses inside the household said there were no tense discussions prior to the shooting Investigators say Earley was unprovoked when she shot Rush and then proceeded to fire several more rounds at Elrod while chasing him outside the home they found Earley inside with her empty hands held up Her hands and forearms were covered in blood Deputies say they found Rush deceased in a bathtub with her clothes on The shower rod and shower head had been pulled down Although the coroner has not revealed the exact cause of death deputies say the evidence suggests she was shot Although Earley fired several times at Elrod Detectives say they tried to interview the suspect but she refused to answer questions and invoked her right to counsel Earley was taken into custody immediately and booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of murder in the first degree and attempted murder in the second degree Zach is a reporter for KRDO and Telemundo Surco. Learn more about Zach here. EL PASO COUNTY – A suspect is in custody following a standoff at a home in the Stratmoor Valley neighborhood Sunday afternoon The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested David Miller hours after a bail bondsman came to a home in the 1100 block of Maxwell St Deputies said that’s when Miller refused to come out and took another person inside the home hostage That prompted deputies to issue a shelter-in-place alert to neighbors That other person was able to escape from the home unharmed.  Miller was arrested more than six hours later around 9:22 p.m Miller was arrested on an outstanding felony domestic violence warrant and will likely face additional charges Colorado — When one door closed for Westside CARES earlier this summer The charity announced a new partnership this week with Harrison School District 2 to use the cafeteria of Stratmoor Hills Elementary School to house their weekly food pantry Westside CARES CEO Kristy Milligan explained that their landlord notified them of a sizable rent increase for their pantry on B Street earlier this summer “We received notification from the landlord that the rent would be going up beginning October 1 from $795 to over $2000,” she said leaders from Stratmoor Hills United Methodist Church and Westside CARES met to discuss future options to serve this neighborhood “We couldn’t have dreamed a more ideal location for this pantry.” Director of Communication for Harrison School District 2 explained a news release that the new partnership made sense for their families as well as for the community as many as 68% of families qualify for free and reduced lunch and we saw an opportunity to expand our support to families by partnering with this pantry,” said O’Brien “D2 believes in partnerships like these to meet the needs of our community.” The district closed the elementary school last year and was in the process of repurposing the building It still houses a Head Start preschool program and now supports the teachers and students at the Aspire Online Academy Teachers at Aspire use the school for face-to-face meetings with students and the facility also serves as a space for student enrichment activities Pantry activity will be limited to just the cafeteria "What we're really excited about is a lot of people are very familiar with the Stratmoor Hills Elementary School space," Milligan said "We know in that community that hunger and food deserts are a real challenge." The group held a volunteer kick-off event and celebration at the cafeteria on Wednesday this is a really a much much bigger pantry we're just really excited to be here," said Rose Grasselli who began volunteering at the B Street pantry last year The staff at Aspire and Head Start will continue to follow the D-2 calendar the pantry will not be open on Wednesdays that fall during school holidays Westside CARES employees moved out of the B Street location earlier this week and will open at Starmoor Hills Elementary for the first time on October 5._____ COLORADO SPRINGS — A suspect has been arrested in the homicide that took place on B Street in the Stratmoor Hills area of El Paso County this week following a fire inside an illegal encampment According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office 64-year-old Gregory Paul Lee is facing a charge of first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing to death Jose Delgado-Diaz behind a nightclub in the area 20-year-old Gabriel Lee Clark was also identified as a suspect and other fire agencies responded to a fire at an illegal camp near B Street in unincorporated El Paso County Several RVs and other cars were found engulfed in flames the El Paso County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about a man who appeared to be shot but deputies discovered he was stabbed Multiple witnesses interviewed about the fire identified a man matching Delgado-Diaz's description as the person who started the fire EPSO detectives arrested and charged 20-year-old Gabriel Lee Clark with First Degree Murder in connection to the death of Delgado-Diaz KOAA News5's Andy Koen looked into how illegal encampments have shined a light on the rising cost of living in the Pikes Peak area which can lead to these types of establishments._____