10/20/2026
Small Fire at Ranch View Middle School Highlights Importance of Fire Drills
South Metro Fire Rescue and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a commercial structure fire at Ranch View Middle School, 1731 W. Wildcat Reserve Parkway in Highlands Ranch, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, just after 1:00 p.m.
All students and staff safely evacuated the building before firefighters arrived.
Crews located a small fire in the ceiling of an unoccupied classroom and extinguished it using a water-based fire extinguisher.
Investigators with the South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical malfunction involving a light fixture.
No injuries were reported.
Following the incident, Douglas County School District initiated a controlled release of students, with buses operating on their normal schedule. After-school activities continued as planned, and school is scheduled to resume normally on Wednesday, October 21.
This incident was a great example of why schools practice fire drills throughout the year. When the alarm sounded, students and staff knew what to do, allowing the building to be evacuated quickly, safely and efficiently.
South Metro Fire Rescue would like to thank the staff at Ranch View Middle School, Douglas County School District and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance and coordination throughout the incident.
Assigned Units: District Chief 1, Battalion Chief 1, Battalion Chief 2, Engine 16, Engine 17, Engine 20, Engine 40, Ladder 12, Ladder 34, Tower 18, Medic 16, Medic 17, MED 2 Safety 1, IDT 2, IDT 10, IDT 11, Bureau 22, Bureau 24, PIO 12