Custer County begins reentry for ‘Aspen Acres’ fire evacuees in Wetmore

CUSTER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Evacuation orders for Wetmore in Custer County were downgraded from mandatory to pre-evacuation status amid the "Aspen Acres" fire.

Phased reentry began Monday, July 13, at 9 a.m. for Wetmore residents to return home.

Highway 67 is now open from Wetmore to Florence. Highway 96 is also open from Siloam Road in Pueblo County to County Road 395, between Wetmore and Greenwood.

The Wetmore Community Center has snacks, cleaning supplies, air purifiers and more for residents to take as they make their way back home.

With just a few hundred residents, Wetmore is a tight-knit community. Smiling faces filled the community center as people reunited with their friends and neighbors.

One resident, Frank Hardin, has lived in Custer County his whole life. He had been evacuated for the past two weeks — until now.

“They just let me come back home today, and my cats and myself were really glad to get home,” Hardin said.

When Wetmore has to evacuate, Hardin said it all happened so fast.

"You just gathered up what you could and left," Hardin said.

Hardin worked for the Custer County Sheriff’s Department for over 30 years and said he has seen his fair share of forest fires. But he said the "Aspen Acres" fire is different.

“This has been the worst. Absolutely the worst. I just can’t believe how bad this is, and the drought doesn’t help at all,” Hardin said.

Almost half a month later, Hardin said he is happy to be back home.

“It’s just good to be back in Wetmore and seeing familiar faces again and knowing that (crews are) hard at work fighting the fire,” Hardin said.

Frank said the worry of having to evacuate again is definitely on the back of his mind, but he’s staying hopeful that crews have a good handle on the fire. 

The supplies at the Wetmore Community Center will be available at least through Tuesday, July 14.

They have an abundance of snacks and water, and are encouraging Wetmore residents to stop by and take what they need as they settle back in.

The Custer County Public Health Agency is encouraging residents to dispose of all items in their freezers and clean their refrigerators for mold.

The area remains on pre-evacuation, so residents should be prepared to leave if conditions change.

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