Aspen Acres Fire Forces Evacuations Near Denver, Destroys 160 Structures in Colorado

A wildfire burning southwest of Denver forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and destroyed more than 160 structures in Colorado, with the Aspen Acres fire spreading to about 297 square kilometers (115 miles) by the afternoon of Friday without being contained.

“Dozens of wildfires are tearing through the Ponant region, burning homes and national forest lands and forcing the evacuation of entire towns”

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The Aspen Acres Fire has grown to 85,585 acres and remains at zero percent containment, with Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1 and Incident Commander Jake Livingston releasing an update at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 4.

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The fire was determined to be human-caused, while the exact details remain under investigation, and the update said the fire has made it to CO-165 Highway and crossed in several places.

Firefighters were extracting water from the embalse de Pueblo to combat the blaze, and the update said mop-up around structures in Colorado City where the fire passed is ongoing to extinguish hot spots and prevent the fire from re-kindling.

The Aspen Acres fire prompted mandatory evacuations, including the order to evacuate the entire city of Colorado City and the localities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel, according to the Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Pueblo.

Jake Livingston said low humidity and high winds contributed to the explosive fire activity overnight Thursday into Friday, and he said those conditions are unfortunately expected to continue over the next 24-48 hours.

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The update warned that outflow wind gusts can be erratic, gusting 45 to 55 mph (miles per hour) and can travel quite a distance from the storm cells, while relative humidity is expected to drop to single digits Saturday afternoon.

Fire restrictions remained in effect in Custer and Pueblo Counties and on Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) lands, and the update said PSICC also declared a closure for the San Carlos Ranger District.

As the Aspen Acres fire continued to advance and impact structures near Siloam Road and Red Creek, fire officials said point protection for structures continued through the day Friday and overnight.

“Dozens of wildfires are spreading across the West, consuming homes and national forest lands and forcing the evacuation of entire communities”

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The update said crews constructed a dozer line north of Rye and in places along the western edge of Colorado City, and it also said dozer line work continued on the eastern edge of the fire, south of the Saint Charles River and along Muddy Creek where the fire is approaching South Crow Cutoff.

The Denver Post reported that the flames from the Aspen Acres fire had come within 200 yards of Bishop Castle in Rye, and Alaska Complex Incident Management Team spokesperson Al Nash said he hopes to have a photo of the building to share soon.

In parallel, the Colorado Sun said the fire started June 29 in Custer County and quickly spread into Pueblo County as high winds fueled days of rapid growth, leading to the evacuations of roughly 3,800 homes affecting 11,000 people, and it said all evacuation orders remained in effect Saturday morning.