Officials advise boaters of water pickups on Lake Pueblo due to ‘Aspen Acres’ wildfire

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Officials are asking those near Lake Pueblo State Park to be aware of aircraft using the lake for water drops to help fight the "Aspen Acres" wildfire currently burning in Pueblo and Custer Counties.

According to the Alaska Incident Management Team (AIMT) that is currently controlling fire operations, Lake Pueblo and the surrounding area will remain mostly open, except for areas where the aircraft are picking up water. Colorado State Park Rangers will be marking areas that are off limits to boats.

Boats must stay at least half a mile away from any portion of the dam, going from N1 Cove to Sailboard, according to officials as of Thursday, July 2.

The Lake Pueblo State Park Facebook page says if anyone is on the lake, stay close to the shorelines to allow aircraft to pick up water to help fight the wildfire. Officials also say boats should move out of the way if they hear aircraft approaching.

AIMT says to be aware of changing conditions that may require different parts of the lake to open and close throughout the holiday weekend.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.