New mandatory evacuations were ordered Wednesday afternoon for the Aspen Acres fire burning in Pueblo and Custer counties as it nearly doubled in size to nearly 48,000 acres, surging past the Snyder fire to become the largest active wildfire in Colorado, according to law enforcement.
The southern Colorado fire had grown to 47,953 acres — roughly 75 square miles — by Wednesday evening, up from 28,362 acres the night before.
Phil Daniels, deputy chief of the and incident commander for the fire, said in a Wednesday news conference that the Aspen Acres fire was now the No. 1 priority in the nation. Firefighters and resources were headed to help from across the country, he said.
The fire expanded on the northwest side overnight, according to Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero, and continued moving east, prompting additional evacuations, including the town of Wetmore in Custer County.
The Aspen Acres fire was 2 miles away from the popular tourist destination Bishop Castle and 7 miles from Wetmore itself, according to officials.
Meanwhile, containment of the 30,193-acre Syder fire in Mesa County grew to 49% on Wednesday. It is the only major wildfire in the state with any containment.
Jump to:Aspen Acres fire | Snyder fire|Gold Mountain fire|Ferris fire | Willow fire | Air quality alerts
Aspen Acres fire in Custer and Pueblo counties
A wildfire that sparked Monday morning in southern Colorado continued to grow aggressively Wednesday, expanding to nearly 48,000 acres in size — roughly 75 square miles — as it destroyed more than 180 structures, injured a firefighter and forced new evacuations, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.
At least 125 structures have been lost in Pueblo County, Lucero said in a Wednesday afternoon briefing, noting that the number is likely higher, but first responders have been unable to enter areas with dangerous fire activity to do a more accurate count.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith said he did not have a new estimate of lost structures, but his office previously had saidanother 55 structures — primarily homes — were lost in Custer County. One firefighter was injured this week while fighting the flames in Custer County, sheriff’s officials said.
“Today has been an extremely difficult day for our community,” Lucero said. “We know this is devastating. It’s devastating news for our residents, our community. Our hearts are with every family, every individual who experienced loss. Please know we are doing everything possible to protect lives, properties and communities.”
There is still no containment on the wildfire, but firefighters continue to make good progress, Lucero said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Aspen Acres fire was the largest active wildfire in Colorado.
None of the previous evacuations, which cover hundreds of homes, including in Beulah and Rye, have been lifted.
Authorities said the following areas are under mandatory evacuation orders:
- Town of Wetmore: North of Wetmore to Fremont County and Pueblo, closing Highway 96
- Colorado City: North of Highway 165, east of Table Mountain Church, and west of Crow Cutoff
- Red Creek Ranch: North of Highway 78 and south of Highway 96, west of Siloam Road
- The North Creek area from Central Road to the Custer County Line
- Aspen Acres subdivision
- Property on 12 Mile Road
- South Pine Drive
- Beulah
- Rye
- San Isabel Lake
- Bishop Castle
Evacuated residents can seek shelter at the Pueblo County Recreation Center, 1650 Cooper Place, or the Wetmore Community Center, 95 County Road 393.
The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday for parts of the San Carlos Ranger District “to protect public health and safety during firefighting operations.” The closure will remain in effect until July 31 or until the agency rescinds it.
“Entry into the fire area, as well as use of roads and trails within the closure zone, is prohibited,” fire officials wrote in the order.
The includes all U.S. Forest Service lands east and north of Colorado 69, south of Colorado 96 and west of Interstate 25.
The wildfire, for which Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has issued a disaster declaration, was reported as a spot fire near the Aspen Acres campground shortly before 6 a.m. Monday. It grew to 362 acres by 10 a.m., reached 2,476 acres around noon and exploded in size to 22,827 acres Monday evening, according to fire officials.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with the firefighting costs in southern Colorado, according to a news release from the agency. FEMA officials ruled that the Aspen Acres fire “threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.”
Federal funding will cover 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires, according to the federal agency. Eligible expenses can include field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.
Officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Department of Public Safety are investigating the cause of the fire, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
Snyder fire in Mesa County and Utah
Colorado’s second-largest wildfire was burning on more than 30,000 acres along the Colorado-Utah border on Wednesday, according to fire officials.
As of Wednesday night, had scorched roughly 30,193 acres, or 47 square miles, with 49% containment, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team in charge.
“Fire personnel will continue to look for opportunities tomorrow where they can safely engage directly with the fire perimeter,” fire officials said in a Tuesday evening update .
Smoke from fires to the west has “shaded out” the Snyder fire, diminishing its activity, officials said in a .
“When heavy smoke occurs over a fire area, it can diminish fire intensity by cooling temperatures and lessening wind gusts,” fire officials stated in the update.
The Snyder fire is the result of four wildfires merging — Utah’s Snyder Mesa and Jones fires and Colorado’s Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County. The two Utah wildfires spread into Colorado on Saturday, overtaking a group of firefighters fighting the Mesa County fires and killing three of them. At that time, the fatal blaze prompted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to issue a disaster declaration.
The five firefighters were trying to deploy their tent-like shelters when they were overcome, .
U.S. Forest Service officials identified the firefighters who died as 38-year-old Emily Barker of Michigan, 27-year-old Nick Hutcherson of Arizona and 27-year-old Sydney Watson of Alabama. Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries and remained hospitalized Monday in the Denver area.
It’s unknown when the fire was last mapped and how much of the damage is in each of the two states, but appear to show most of the burn area on the Western Slope.
Pre-evacuation notices were issued on Sunday for residents living in the Glade Park area, the Kingsview subdivision and the Pollock Canyon Estates, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. That includes the area south of the Colorado River to BS Road and west of Colorado 340. The sheriff alsoclosed A 2/10 Road at DS Road and BS Roadbefore the Bureau of Land Management boundary, the Kokopelli Trail Road between Loma and Mack and 16 5/10 Road to Glade Park at Monument Road and Rim Rock Drive,according to law enforcement.
As of Wednesday morning, none of those notices had been lifted.
The sheriff’s office and the American Red Cross are operating a Snyder Mesa fire evacuation center at Grand Junction High School, 1400 N. Fifth St.
Gold Mountain fire near Ouray
A wildfire burning north of Ouray jumped in size by more than 6,000 acres on Tuesday, spurred on by gusty winds and dry weather, according to fire officials.
The had consumed an estimated 14,960 acres — roughly 23 square miles — as of Wednesday morning, up from the 8,277-acre burn area reported the morning before.
The wildfire sparked Saturday north of Ouray, forcing evacuations. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain fire on Sunday.
As of Wednesday morning, mandatory evacuation orders remained active northwest and southwest of the fire, according to Ouray County’s .
The southern evacuation zone included Lake Lenore and was bordered to the west by U.S. 550, to the north by Cutler Creek, to the east by the wildfire burn area and to the south by Bridalveil Creek. The northern evacuation zone was bordered to the west by Ouray County Road 10, to the north by Cow and Deer creeks, to the east by Lou Creek Pass and to the south by Bald Peak and the wildfire.
Pre-evacuation orders were also issued for southwest Gunnison County, along Coal Creek and the Cimarron Ridge, according to the map.
An evacuation shelter was opened at the Ridgway Secondary School, 1200 Green St., according to county officials.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with the firefighting costs for the Gold Mountain fire, the Colorado governor’s office announced Wednesday.
When Polis requested federal aid, the fire was threatening 266 homes and had forced more than 400 people to evacuate, according to the office.
“I am deeply grateful for the hardworking, brave firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect us and keep our communities safe,” Polis said in a statement. “Our top priority will always be the safety of those responding and the protection of our people, communities, homes, and businesses. This approval means that the state can focus on doing what we must to keep Coloradans safe from these fires.”
FEMA will cover 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs, including for field camps, equipment, mobilizing crews and other supplies.
U.S. 550 remained closed in both directions between 10th Avenue and Ouray County Road 23 for the fire on Wednesday, according to the .
The U.S. Forest Service to all forest lands within Ouray, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties east of U.S. 550, south of U.S. 50, west of Pinnacle Ridge, north of Matterhorn Peak and northeast of Cascade and Bridalveil creeks. That includes the Big Cimarron Campground, Beaver Lake Campground, Silver Jack Boat Ramp, Silver Jack Campground and Jackson Guard Station.
Federal officials said the order will remain in effect until Oct. 1 or until rescinded. Violating the closure order is a misdemeanor crime punishable by a $5,000 fine for people, a $10,000 fine for organizations, up to six months in jail or a combination of those.
Ferris fire in San Juan National Forest, near Dolores
The , which started Saturday as three separate fires in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan National Forest, has consumed more than 23,000 acres with no containment, according to federal officials.
As of Wednesday morning, the lightning-sparked wildfire was estimated to be burning on 23,287 acres, according to fire officials. That’s just over 36 square miles.
The Ferris, Far Draw and Doe fires — now called the Ferris fire — started in the San Juan National Forest’s Glade area near Narraguinnep Canyon, north of Dolores, according to the Forest Service.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for residents north and east of the wildfires, according to the . The evacuation area was bordered to the north by Disappointment Road, to the south by the Glade Ranch community, to the west by the fire and to the east by Road 30, according to the office.
The U.S. Forest Service also closed the Bradfield Bridge Campground, Forest Service Road 504 to the base of McPhee Dam, Forest Service Road 521 and Forest Service Road 504 “out of an abundance of caution,”federal officials said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Tuesday cut off public access to the Lone Dome State Wildlife Area in Dolores and Montezuma counties, according to a news release from the agency. As fire conditions continue to change, further closures may be put into place for public safety and to support firefighting efforts, wildlife officials said.
“We’re implementing the closure to support the efforts by the U.S. Forest Service and the counties to keep the public out of the active fire area and to protect public and firefighter safety,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta stated in the release. “We appreciate the public’s assistance in respecting these closures.”
Willow fire near Leadville
sparked Sunday evening near the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and quickly grew across more than 2,000 acres, prompting evacuations for residents west of town.
The wildfire was by the Lake County Office of Emergency Management. At that time, it was burning on a handful of U.S. Forest Service acres below Mount Massive, near Twin Mounds, .
By Wednesday morning, the fire had spread to an estimated 2,011 acres with no containment in the San Isabel National Forest, according to Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4, which is leading the fire response. That’s roughly 3 square miles.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the fire on Monday.
As of Wednesday morning, the mandatory evacuation area included Turquoise Lake and was bordered to the south by Rock Creek, to the west by Hagerman Pass, to the north by Galena Mountain and to the east by Leadville, according to the . The Leadville area and homes north of the fire along U.S. 24 were on pre-evacuation status at that time.
Lake County officials said evacuations included all residents on County Road 4 east to County Road 9D, County Road 9, County Road 9D, County Road 5A, County Road 48, County Road 99, all trails from the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, all campgrounds around Turquoise Lake, the Colorado Trail and Hagerman Pass into Pitkin County.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Air quality alerts
As wildfires continue to burn across Colorado, state health officials have for the western state.
The newest alert from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will remain in effect until at least 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the agency.
Smoke could create unhealthy conditions near and downwind of the fires burning in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, including in Chaffee,Clear Creek,Custer, Delta, Dolores,Eagle,El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin,Grand, Gunnison,Huerfano, Jackson, Lake,Mesa,Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray,Park,Pitkin,Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt, Saguache, San Miguel,Summit and Teller counties, according to state health officials.
If the smoke drops visibility to less than 5 miles in an area, it has reached unhealthy levels, according to the agency. Those with heart disease and respiratory illnesses, young children and older adults are more at risk.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
