Pueblo County sheriff announces tenative wildfire re-entry plan for Beulah residents Monday

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Monday is the day many Beulah residents have been waiting for. This weekend, the Pueblo County sheriff announced plans to allow Beulah residents to temporarily return to their homes.

A major caveat of the plan is that it's dependent on the activity of the Aspen Acres Fire.

The first evacuees began lining up on westbound Highway 78 just east of Beulah long before the checkpoint manned by sheriff's deputies and the Colorado National Guard began allowing residents in.

One of the returning residents is Evon Michelle Davis, whose home on Pine Drive was destroyed; it had been in her family since the early 1960s.

"I'm not going to rebuild this cabin the way it was built," she revealed. "Because I don't think that makes sense. I don't have the financial resources to clean up the property, and there's no insurance on it."

Davis, who said that she lived in the home only during the summer, plans to revert the property to its natural state.

"It's still a place where I can bring family and friends, and enjoy its beauty," she said.

Late Monday morning, Davis allowed a KRDO 13 crew to accompany her during her first look at her property since the fire erupted two weeks ago.

She doesn't seem as emotionally upset as you might think.

"I'm sure different people grieve in different ways," she reflected. "But truly, my way of grieving is to say: Let's roll up our sleeves and let's get to work."

Davis has started a GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-my-only-home-after-aspen-acres-fire to offset the costs of cleaning up her property.

"I've had estimates between $10,000 and $50,000," she said.

To be allowed into Beulah, residents need to obtain a re-entry card from the Disaster Assistance Center at 29 Lehigh Avenue in Pueblo.

Stay up to date on the Aspen Acres Fire

Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday until 10:00 a.m., all Beulah residents who lost their homes will be allowed into the burn zone. The sheriff's office says that fire personnel will escort families to their properties, will answer questions, and provide an informational packet. Property owners who arrive after 10 will be escorted as escorts are available.

Then, at 10:00 a.m., hour-long time slots begin to open up for specific residential streets. Those time slots are as follows:

• 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
  • Central Avenue and Grand Avenue
• 11:00 a.m. - Noon
  • Mountain View, Maryknoll, Ban Street, Cascade Avenue, Catalina Avenue, Cottonwood Drive, Davis Street, Fox Lane, Harmon Lane, Lake Avenue, Middle Creek Canyon, North Creek Cutoff, Pine Avenue, Sciota Street, School House Lane, and Vine Mesa
• Noon - 1:00 p.m.
  • 8200-8700 block of Hwy 78 to include Cemetery Road, Los Escapados, Pine Crest, and Roosevelt Avenue
• 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • 8700-8900 block of Hwy 78 to include Beulah Highlands Road, Canon Drive, Columbine Road, Curtiz Lane, Glendale Road, Morton Avenue, Pennsylvania Road, Squirrel Creek, and Woodland Avenue
• 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  • 9088 Hwy 78 to Cheyenne Drive, League Trail, Pueblo Mountain Park Road, Ula Trail, Ula Court, Watseka Avenue, and Watseka Court
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • 9090 Hwy 78 to 9958 Hwy 78 to include Geronimo Avenue, Simsonian Trail, Sioux Avenue, and Apache Drive
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  • 5775 North Creek to 4632 North Creek Road to include Douglas Lane

The sheriff's office says anyone beyond 4632 North Creek is not allowed in at this time, as the area is still under evacuation because firefighters are working in the area.

Residents may still see smoke in the area, and the sheriff's office is asking people to stay off the roads as much as possible because firefighters are still working on hotspots and property evaluations.

More information can be found here.