Two firefighters injured fighting Aspen Acres Fire

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The Operations Section Chief of the Aspen Acres Fire said Thursday that two firefighters were injured near Camp Jackson in the southwest region of the blaze.

Operations Section Chief Brad Washa said at Thursday's community meeting that one firefighter "blew out his knee" while another suffered from a dehydration incident. He said the two were working to create dozer lines in rugged mountain terrain.

Washa said it's been hard to establish dozer lines on the West side of the fire because of its challenging topography. He said they will not be putting fire crews in the Greenhorn wilderness south of the fire. He said they are exploring strategies to let the fire burn West until it's out of the mountains and has reached flat ground West of Highway 69. In that case, the fire would grow substantially in acreage, but mostly through rugged wilderness without putting many structures at risk.

Washa said people with homes in the Greenhorn wilderness should "fireproof" their homes by clearing everything combustible within five feet of the house, like wood piles. From there, clear dry vegetation out as far as 100 feet from the home. If possible, he recommends putting gravel down around the property.

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