‘Aspen Acres’ fire estimated 96,000+ acres burned, over 250 homes lost
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office held a press briefing at 3:30 p.m. on July 8; a recording is available above.
CUSTER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) has ordered mandatory evacuations due to the "Aspen Acres" fire, which has burned approximately 96,121 acres with 14% containment as of 8 a.m. on July 9.
As of 1:00 p.m. on July 9, Fremont County moved all areas that were under mandatory evacuations to pre-evacuation, according to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.
PCSO announces that they anticipate lifting evacuations for Friday, July 10, in most areas of southern Pueblo County. Officials encourage individuals to get re-entry cards.
PCSO released the following drone video showing the Pine Drive area in Beulah following the fire:
On July 8, officials confirmed that at least 192 homes and four businesses have been lost in Pueblo County. PCSO says the majority of the homes were lost in the Beulah area.
At least 83 homes in Custer County have also been lost, according to the Custer County Sheriff's Office.
Find the latest Aspen Acres wildfire containment status and evacuation orders here →
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office has lifted some of its evacuations in the northeastern part of Colorado City. It applies to residents in between I-25 and S. Crow Cutoff/Haynes Road (East/West), and in between Cummings Street and Jerry Bass Lane (North/South).
According to the Custer County Sheriff, around 11,000 people have been evacuated as of July 3.
Mandatory Evacuations:
- Burnt Mill Road, this includes west Hatchett Ranch, Burnt Mill Road
- RED CREEK AREA FROM SILOAM ROAD EAST TO THE AREA OF RED CREEK SPRINGS ROAD WEST AND HIGHWAY 96 WEST.
- Wetmore
- Red Creek Ranch area north of Highway 78, south of Highway 96, and west of Siloam Road.
- Areas south of Highway 96 including Highway 165 south to the Pueblo County line.
- Town of Beulah
- Town of Rye
- Town of San Isabel
- Burnt Mill Rd East to Interstate 25
- South of Lake Isabel to Rye, 2 mile evacuation from San Isabel
- From Lazy Acres to Bishops Castle on Hwy 165
- 12 Mile Road
- 3R Road to Crow Cutoff
- Crow Cutoff west to Boulder Avenue
- Newlin Ridge Road
- Los Pinos Subdivision
- Locke Mountain Estates
Pre-evacuations:
- West of I-25, North of Cummings St., East of S. Crow Cutoff, East of Haynes Rd and South of Jerry Bass Lane.
- Residents in this area must have a re-entry card or photo ID with proof of residency to re-enter. These areas will still remain on pre-evacuation status, so residents must be prepared to leave if conditions change.
- Towns of Rockvale, Coal Creek and Williamsburg
- Fremont County Roads 15, 103, and 100
Road Closures:
- For the most accurate updates on road closures from the Colorado Department of Transportation, please visit https://www.cotrip.org/home
Evacuation shelters:
- Pueblo County: St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center
- 1650 Cooper Pl, Pueblo, Co, 81006
- Custer County: Lange Hall
- Lange South 3rd Street, Westcliffe, CO, 81252
- Custer County: Pathfinder Park
- Pathfinder Regional Park, Colorado 115, Florence, CO 81226
- Large animals/livestock: Colorado State Fairgrounds, enter through Gate 7 off Small Avenue
- Trucks and Trailers are staged at the Colorado State Fairgrounds for livestock evacuation needs. Please contact the Pueblo CART Livestock Division - Community Animal Response Team at 719-251-0245.
- A Disaster Assistance Center is closed and will reopen at 11 a.m. on July 7 at the Pueblo Academy of Arts, 29 Lehigh Ave, Pueblo, CO 81005, for Pueblo County and Custer County residents who have been evacuated or impacted.
- DAC asks that property owners register their property through the survival portal, which can be found here.
- DAC is a one-stop resource center set up to assist survivors with the recovery process.
- Individuals will be required to have proof of residency to enter the DAC, which can include photo ID with address, a piece of mail or other official document with address.
- The entrance to the DAC will be on the east side of the school, enter from the parking lot off of Colgate Lane.
- DAC asks that property owners register their property through the survival portal, which can be found here.
Evacuation transportation/shelter:
- City of Pueblo Fire is bussing people from Rye to the Evacuation Center in Pueblo (11650 Cooper Place), especially for the Elderly and disabled.
- Those seeking shelter should call: 1-844-975-1881 (English) 1-844-975-1882 (Spanish)
Custer County Residents:
- If you're a Custer County resident looking for information on your impacted area, please call Custer County's Non-Emergency number at 719-792-6411.
Donations:
- Prepackaged snacks @ 1650 Cooper Place. Water is not needed at 1650 Cooper Place as of 2:45 p.m.
- Donation information with United Way of Southern Colorado: Drop off much-needed supplies at United Way of Southern Colorado, 510 W. 3rd Street in Pueblo, Monday–Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Visit www.unitedwaysoco.org/emergencyinfo to donate, view the current list of needed items, and learn more.
- Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region: visit the link to make a monetary donation, view the current list of needed items, and learn more here at https://www.hsppr.org/resources/aspenacresfire/
- Senior horse grain and grass hay at the Colorado State Fairgrounds
Disaster Survivor Portal:
Firefighting efforts are now led by the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team (AICC). The AICC is based in Alaska but serves all states and directly deploys to high-level threats. On July 3 AICC announced that aircraft will be using the Pueblo Reservoir and asks boaters using the lake to avoid the are where aircraft is working.
Due to weather conditions, including strong winds, air support has at times been limited, according to PCSO. Smoke from the fire covers most of Pueblo County and likely will spread across nearby counties east and north.
Pueblo Health officials are urging residents to stay indoors due to poor air quality from smoke.
The Red Cross of Colorado said providing shelter to impacted families is its top priority right now. It said monetary donations are the quickest way to help their efforts.
This article will be updated.
