PUEBLO — Hundreds of Aspen Acres fire evacuees poured into the state’s on Monday morning to obtain re-entry passes, anxious to get permission to return to homes spared by the wildfire.
Tristan Chapa spent two hours in line to get a pass to his home in Rye, even though he doesn’t know when he can return.
Chapa works at a warehouse in Rye that’s closed because of the wildfire, and he isn’t getting paid while it’s shut down. His employer is sending him to South Dakota to work at another warehouse until the Rye location reopens, paying for his transportation and lodging while he’s away.
“I’ve had to ask my family for a small loan to help us get by,” Chapa said. “We honestly want to get back to our house before we start work, but we need the money.”
The Aspen Acres fire has burned more than 93,000 acres in Pueblo and Custer counties, and now ranks as the seventh-largest wildfire in Colorado’s recorded history.
Officials on Monday night described the wildfire, which has burned an estimated 263 homes, as “a monster.” Nearly 12,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in Pueblo, Custer, Fremont and Huerfano counties.
“This thing is doing absolutely what it wants to do,” said Jim Pitts, a U.S. Forest Service agency administrator working on the fire. “I can tell you the fire is probably going to get bigger. It’s rugged country. It’s tough country.”
Fire officials are hopeful that a storm cell forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday would bring much-needed water to the fire. But that potential for rain will be short-lived, and more hot, windy weather will follow it.
Even as fire crews continue to battle the blaze, a few residents were given permission Monday night to return home.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office lifted evacuation orders for people who live west of Interstate 25 and north of Cummings Street, east of South Crow Cutoff, east of Haynes Road and south of Jerry Bass Lane.
Those areas remained on pre-evacuation status, meaning residents could be asked to leave again if conditions change.
Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero told people at a Monday night community meeting that even when the fire eases in some areas, officials still might prohibit people from going home because of poor water quality and a lack of electricity. Conditions must be safe for re-entry to be approved, he said.
Lucero opened the county’s disaster relief center between 9 and 11 a.m. Tuesday for people who wanted re-entry passes. Other services at the center would be offered at 11 a.m. Residents lined up early, with couples tag-teaming spots in line.
Kathy Patterson of Rye waited on a sidewalk with her French bulldog, Winnie, while her husband was in line. She was going to a hair salon as a break.
The Pattersons evacuated Rye on June 30 with Rick Patterson’s parents, who are in their 80s. Kathy Patterson said her in-laws were staying with relatives, and she and her husband were living in a camper at a Love’s truck stop in Trinidad.
While the uncertainty has been hard, Kathy Patterson said she tries to follow the sheriff’s rules and to be patient with fire crews, who are doing their best to keep people safe.
“I just wish more people were cooperating and not complaining so much,” she said. “Facebook is confusing everybody. Everybody is hearing this and that. If everyone would just listen to the authorities and not each other.”
Dozens of people waiting for passes Tuesday were also trying to take care of their pets in the heat.
Tammy Jones of Beulah fled with three dogs, two cats and eight birds. She made two trips from the house to move all the pets to safety.
“I came back for the second load, and they almost didn’t let me back in,” Jones said. “I told them I was picking up my spouse and more animals. I promised I would leave.”
The miniature dachshunds were anxious and licking their paws too much, she said.
Aside from the anxious dogs, Jones believes her house has been broken into.
When electricity was restored Monday night, she was able to look at her outdoor security cameras and saw that a back window had been broken. But there is nothing she can do about it until the evacuation orders are lifted.
“I’m thankful to have our house, but now we may have been looted,” Jones said.
Joe Saliba followed his three dogs as they romped in a field at the Disaster Assistance Center while his wife waited in line.
The Salibas evacuated their 5-acre property at the base of 12,352-foot Greenhorn Mountain a week ago and went to their son’s home in Colorado Springs. Their dogs — Nikki and her 14-week-old puppies, Sam and Charlie — aren’t used to being cooped up, he said.
They don’t know the status of their home and continue to wait for news.
“We’re hanging in there,” Saliba said. “It’s just the not knowing.”
