From The Gazette Telegraph:

Remains found at site of fire

By ANSLEE WILLETT - THE GAZETTEThe charred remains of a body were found Thursday in a Black Forest house that exploded and burned to the ground the day before. The remains are thought to be those of the male resident who built rockets, authorities and neighbors said. An autopsy today is expected to identify the victim. The man’s wife, Betty Wilcox, 62, couldn’t be reached Thursday. A neighbor said Wilcox had been in Denver when the fire started at 5772 Windridge Point, near Hodgen and Thompson roads. Wilcox feared her husband was dead because she saw his truck outside when she arrived at the house, the neighbor said. The cause of the fire, reported at 4:54 p.m. Wednesday, hadn’t been determined by Thursday evening, El Paso County Fire Marshal Jim Reid said. Firefighters from several rural departments responded but didn’t have a chance of saving the house or rescuing anyone, he said. “I would say it was probably 100 percent engulfed long before they got there,” Reid said. Virgil and Suzanne Bell were doing yardwork Wednesday afternoon when they heard “a sonic boom.” “We turned around and watched the house just explode in pieces,” Suzanne Bell said. “We saw shingles and the roof fly off, then there was a mushroom-shaped cloud. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.” She ran to call 911, and her husband hopped into his truck to drive over in case anyone was injured. “When he drove up the road to the house, the heat was so intense he couldn’t go any further,” she said. “He could tell everything was gone. He thought it was too dangerous.” Brent Wood used binoculars to watch from his home, less than half a mile away. “It was pretty much explosion after explosion — big balls of flame shooting out,” he said. “It was leveled in no time. “You could see the guy’s truck sitting in the driveway. It was pretty obvious someone was there.” Firefighters have been to 5772 Windridge Point before. “We’ve been there three times, either for an explosion or just a grass fire,” Reid said. “We just talked to him. He very cooperative — ‘Yeah, I’ll do this.’” Neighbors said there were complaints about the man shooting off rockets. CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0366 or awillett@gazette.com