Author: Mary Shinn
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Aspen Acres fundraising surpasses $1.5 million, as families return to ashes
Joshua MacLeod and his family had three hours to evacuate from their home in Rye as high winds drove the explosive growth of the Aspen Acres fire. They fit what they could in two cars, leaving behind most of the belongings accumulated over 17 years of marriage, he said. Firefighters cut fences for their two…
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Latest damage assessment of Aspen Acres fire lowers total homes destroyed
Following a big jump in containment, a damage reassessment for the Aspen Acres fire has lowered the total number of destroyed homes. Initially thought to be 337 total homes destroyed in Pueblo and Custer counties, the number has decreased to 319 overall, according to the counties’ sheriff’s offices. A total of 241 have been lost…
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Firefighters knock down fire north of Colorado Springs along I-25
Firefighters knocked down a fire burning north of Colorado Springs along Interstate 25 south of Baptist Road. A Gazette photographer observed fire crews putting out hot spots and officials reopening southbound I-25 south of Baptist Road shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday. Monument Fire District Chief Andy Kovacs said the cause of the fire is…
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Beulah residents grapple with Aspen Acres destruction
By Savannah Eller and Mary Shinn The Gazette Nearly two weeks after the Aspen Acres fire exploded onto the landscape, residents are beginning to reckon with the destruction, even as the fire burns on. On Saturday, the fire had charred 97,505 acres and destroyed about 850 structures, including at least 254 homes in Pueblo County…
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Aspen Acres fire destroys 850 structures, including 254 homes in Pueblo County
The Aspen Acres fire has destroyed about 850 structures, making it among the most destructive in state history, fire officials said Friday. Firefighters count all structures lost in a fire, including barns and sheds, while county officials have focused on tallying homes. Despite the number of structures lost, “There were a lot of good saves,”…
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Aspen Acres fire may burn through the summer
The Aspen Acres fire could burn until heavy fall snows or rains arrive. “It could be burning the rest of the summer,” explained Amanda Wheelock, a spokeswoman with the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1. But likely not in the highest-priority areas for firefighting near homes and towns, she explained, where teams are focused on…
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Pueblo County lifting evacuations on southern edge of Aspen Acres fire
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office lifted evacuation orders on the southern edge of the Aspen Acres fire. The office said on its website the area where evacuations have been lifted includes West of I-25, North of Cummings Street, East of S Crow Cutoff, East of Haynes Road, and South of Jerry Bass Lane. A full…
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Colorado City evacuees return home, heroic efforts save Wetmore
After more than 10,000 residents fled the Aspen Acres fire, residents started to return home Monday afternoon to areas near the southern end of the fire. Officials were letting residents back into Colorado City and homes off Crow Cutoff, Burnt Mill Road and Waterbarrel Road if their addresses matched those on a list, but some…
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Aspen Acres fire grows to 10th-largest in Colorado history; incident team from Alaska takes charge
The Aspen Acres fire plume towered over Custer and Pueblo counties on Thursday as the blaze continued to grow in size in extremely hot, dry and windy weather. “I’ve been a firefighter for 40 years and I’ve never seen conditions like we’re seeing,” Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control,…
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Aspen Acres fire gains ground Wednesday, prompting new evacuations
The fight against the Aspen Acres fire west of Pueblo continued on multiple fronts Wednesday, as officials called for new evacuations of communities in the path of the uncontained blaze. Fueled by temperatures nearing 100 degrees and humidity below 10%, the fire grew to nearly 48,000 perimeter acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s…