Aspen Acres Fire Forces Thousands to Evacuate in Colorado, Destroys 160 Structures

A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed more than 160 structures as erratic winds pushed the Aspen Acres Fire across two Colorado counties.

“Dozens of wildfires are raging there in the Ponant, burning homes and national forest lands and forcing the evacuation of entire towns”

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The fire expanded overnight by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) to reach 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday, with authorities reporting no containment.

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Evacuations were ordered for about 2,200 people in Colorado City, along with residents of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.

Fire crews drew water from the Pueblo Reservoir to fight the blaze, while about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from water-scooping operations.

On the Colorado–Utah border, firefighters had contained about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire, where three members of a Helitack team were killed and two others were injured last weekend when they were overtaken by flames.

As the Aspen Acres Fire grew, Colorado emergency officials warned that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 dropped to as little as a half a mile—0.8 kilometres—while smoke disrupted travel.

The National Weather Service kept Red Flag Warnings in place across much of the state on Friday, saying hot, dry conditions, low humidity and gusty winds would continue to create critical fire conditions.

Al Jazeera

In Pueblo and Custer counties, the National Guard deployment was framed as support for road checkpoints and for keeping boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir during water-scooping operations.

The Denver Post reported that firefighters faced “extreme fire behavior” as the fire ran into Colorado City, up Table Mountain and to Bondurant Road, citing an 8 a.m. update by the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team.

The Denver Post also quoted incident command team spokesperson Al Nash saying, “We really didn’t see that until close to dawn today,” referring to expectations that temperatures would drop and relative humidity would rise overnight.

Beyond Aspen Acres, the wildfire picture included the Cottonwood Fire in Utah, which had grown to more than 380sq kilometres (147sq miles) by Friday, and the Babylon Fire, which had reached 344sq kilometres (133sq miles).

“Fires and Evacuations in the Western United States 03/07/2026 | 15:51 Cadena 3 Newsroom By late June, Anitra Cornish began to notice smoke in the hills near her home in Eureka, Utah”

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Al Jazeera reported that the latest fires came less than a week after three firefighters were killed and two others were injured after they were overtaken by flames while battling two fires, part of the Snyder complex.

Investigators said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they had not yet released any other details, as authorities continued to coordinate evacuations and response.

The Denver Post said the Aspen Acres Fire was reported as a spot fire near the Aspen Acres campground shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, while the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Department of Public Safety investigated the cause.

Looking ahead, Al Jazeera said forecasters warned moister weather over the weekend should help lessen risks, but heavier rain could increase the possibility of flash flooding in recently burned areas.