Fire from the Aspen Acres Fire is seen over a neighborhood near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)
The Aspen Acres fire grew to over 90,000 acres Monday, with several evacuations in place across multiple southern Colorado communities. The blaze has burned for more than a week and is now the 7th-largest wildfire in Colorado history.
Residents try to return to their homes from the Colorado City exist off Interstate 25 Monday afternoon, July 6, 2026, after some of evacuation zones were lifted in some areas of the Aspen Acres fire. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)Victor Ruschena, center, loads a gun safe onto his trailer with the help of his brother, Valentino Ruschena, left, and friend, Ty Haddock Monday, July 6, 2026, as he evacuates his home in Coal Creek, Colo., because of the Aspen Acres fire. The fire had grown to 91,981.8 acres as of 12:23 p.m. Monday. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)Fire from the Aspen Acres Fire is seen over a neighborhood near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)A Bridger Aerospace Tanker skims along the surface of the Pueblo Reservoir to scoop up water to drop on the northern face of the Aspen Acres Fire on Sunday, July 5, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)Fire rises in the background of a structure as the Aspen Acres Fire continues to burn near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)A helicopter drops a bucket of water on the Aspen Acres fire near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)A scout plane circles the Aspen Acres Fire near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)Deer graze in a pasture as a helicopter in the background battles the Aspen Acres Fire near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)A Super-Scooper plane drops a load of water on the southeast corner of the Aspen Acres fire near Colorado City on Friday, July 3, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)Firefighters monitor the Aspen Acres Fire near Colorado City as it begins to grow late on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)Smoke from the Aspen Acres Fire billows up towards a home near Colorado City on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)Charred trees from a 2016 fire in the San Isabel Forest near Wetmore still stand with smoke from the Aspen Acres fire as a backdrop on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)Pastor Andy Smart takes a break after loading up his car as smoke looms over the tiny town of Wetmore on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The town was under pre-evacuation notice on Wednesday morning as the Aspen Acres Fire heads north towards Wetmore. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)The Aspen Acres fire engulfs a hillside southeast of Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)Rusty Cates prepares to leave Hollydot Golf Course after spending the night in the parking lot due to road closures from the Aspen Acres Fire near Colorado City on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans)A woman uses a water hose to wet down the grasses around the Mountain Shadows Mobile Estates in hopes of keeping the Aspen Acres fire from reaching the homes in the mobile home park on Monday, June 29, 2026. Eventually, all residents of the mobile home park were given mandatory evacuation orders(The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)The Aspen Acres fire engulfs a hillside near southeast of Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)The Aspen Acres fire engulfs a hillside near southeast of Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)The Aspen Acres fire engulfs a hillside near southeast of Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)The Aspen Acres fire erupted Monday, June 29, 2026. (Screen grab, courtesy Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office)Volunteer Teena McKinley-Hull gives some love to Pretty Lady while her owner, Colleen Estes, talks about how to move her horse to the State Fairgrounds on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)Colleen Estes kisses her cat on the head after getting evacuated from her home in Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. Estes was waiting to find a way to get her horse to the State Fairground where she would be safe. Estes was evacuated because of the Aspen Acres Fire. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)Justin Burk looks through the binoculars from a road near his home in Mountain Shadows Mobile Estates, keeping an eye on the Aspen Acres Fire. Eventually, he and all the other residents of the mobile home park were given mandatory evacuation orders on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)Heather Acavedo uses a garden hose to wet down the grasses around the Mountain Shadows Mobile Estates in hopes of keeping the Aspen Acres fire from reaching the homes in the mobile home park on Monday, June 29, 2026. Eventually, all residents of the mobile home park were given mandatory evacuation orders. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)A house is directly in the path of the Aspen Acres fire as it engulfs a hillside near southeast of Beulah on Monday, June 29, 2026. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)
