The west side of the Aspen Acres fire remains active, but fire officials reported little overall growth Tuesday as conditions remained poor.

Standing at 99,077 acres burned as of 11:30 a.m., the fire remains at 36% containment. The weather is expected to remain hot, dry and windy for most of this week, with wind patterns forecast to be from the east or east-southeast.

A new wave of evacuations was ordered on the fire’s south side in Huerfano County late Tuesday morning. Over two weeks since its spark, authorities have yet to fully assess the damages in Rye, which resides south of the fire, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Gayle Perez said.

Fire activity

Activity on the west side of the blaze is expected to increase Tuesday afternoon due to forecast heat and winds as fuels remain “extremely receptive” to fire, according to the latest update from the Alaska Incident Management Team 1.

The weather was favorable enough to continue burning operations, allowing crews to remove fuels between the constructed line and the wildfire near Mingus Ranch. Several days of mop-up work, extinguishing remaining hot spots and monitoring are ahead.

Two miles northwest of Rye, the fire remains active near North Muddy Creek. Crews are constructing defensive lines between the fire and communities in this area. A structure protection group is assessing threats to homes in the Rye area and all along the west side of the fire, including San Isabel and other communities to the north.

Activity is low on the northeast side, prompting Pueblo authorities to lift more evacuations Tuesday.

The incident management team said the fire is still a “lurking threat” in the northeast due to the potential of highly flammable juniper trees near a populated area.

Firefighters will continue to work the area as residents return, using chain saws to remove brush and lower tree limbs and water to cool smoldering hot spots.

Smoke outlook

Most areas will have good to moderate air quality, but it will be unhealthy for sensitive groups on the southern end of the fire.

Incident management team transition

Starting 6 a.m. Wednesday, Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 6 will take control of the operation as the Alaska team transitions off.

The Northern Rockies team is observing all operations to ensure a smooth transition.

Community meeting Tuesday night

A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Centennial High School, located at 2525 Mountview Drive in Pueblo. The meeting will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.