Tag: Custer County
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Colorado wildfires: Aspen Acres surpasses 101,000 acres burned
The Aspen Acres fire in Pueblo and Custer counties has grown by nearly 800 acres since Monday, hitting the 101,546-acre mark, officials announced Tuesday on social media. The fire, the seventh-largest in Colorado history by acreage burned, remained 61% contained and had 1,256 assigned personnel on Tuesday, down about 50 from a day earlier. Some…
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Aspen Acres fire: Mandatory evacuations are back for some residents planning returns to homes
Some residents in Custer County were planning for a return to their homes Monday as evacuation orders related to the Aspen Acres fire had been eased in the morning, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Temperatures in the 80s and humidity below 30% helped the fire on the west side of the boundary, including in…
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More Aspen Acres fire evacuations lifted in Custer County
As firefighters work to gain containment on the 100,000-acre Aspen Acres fire, more evacuation orders have been lifted in Custer County. On Monday morning, officials announced that Zone C3’s mandatory evacuation order has been rolled back to a pre-evacuation order, and Zone C4 is now open for reentry. Reentry cards are needed for anyone attempting…
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San Isabel Electric faces lawsuit over Aspen Acres fire in southern Colorado
Plaintiffs allege power lines played a ‘substantial’ part in the fire’s cause Four people have filed a complaint against the San Isabel Electric Association, claiming the company is responsible for the start of the Aspen Acres fire. The plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit the fire was started by downed power lines owned by the company…
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Bishop Castle still standing at last report despite being inside of wildfire boundary
Amid the spread of the devastating Aspen Acres fire that’s now reached 91,523 acres with 12 percent containment, a frequent point of discussion was how the iconic Bishop Castle would fare. As Watch Duty showed the perimeter inching closer to this attraction, concern about its fate became widespread. Painstakingly created by Jim Bishop between 1969…
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Blaze explodes to 73,367 acres, becomes 8th-largest in Colorado state history
While containment has been gained on many of the fires that popped up around Colorado in recent days, the most problematic blaze continues to be the Aspen Acres wildfire, which has now become the 8th-largest fire in state history. Gold Mountain Fire is concerning, too, burning in a stunning area that’s very popular among outdoor…
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Colorado wildfire roundup: Aspen Acres explodes to 23,000 acres, evacuations from Custer County to I-25
Multiple wildfires continue to burn across Colorado, forcing several evacuations and road closures, according to local and state officials. The fastest-growing and largest fire was first reported at 40 acres around 6 a.m. Monday and began in Custer County near the Pueblo County line. It rapidly grew northeastward to more than 23,100 acres by 5…
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Southern Colorado residents evacuate, then wait and wonder
Towers of smoke were slowly encircling Mountain Shadows Mobile Estates Monday afternoon. A few makeshift sprinklers worked furiously at the western edge of the mobile home community, but hard wind blew ash into scrubby yards. Sandy Merrill paced outside her home while sister Joyce Johnson sat nearby, back to the blaze. Both had evacuated from…
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Multiple towns evacuated as wildfire explodes to more than 2,000 acres in matter of hours
A situation involving a rapidly growing wildfire that originated in Custer County continues to get more serious. Per the latest update from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, the Aspen Acres wildfire has closed roads in Colorado City from Highway 165 to Blanco Street. Highway 78 at Waterbarrel Road is closed, as well. A first report…
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Medical emergency occurs at popular roadside castle in Colorado
At about 11:30 a.m. on May 18, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office reported that a medical emergency had taken place at Bishop Castle, a popular roadside attraction near Rye, Colorado. Not much information on the matter was released, though it was noted that there was an expected closure on Highway 165 around mile marker 13…