Aspen Acres fire: Thousands evacuated and waiting for answers as the fire grows in Southern Colorado

Updated at 9:37 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026

Go here for the most recent information on the Aspen Acres fire. This post is no longer being updated.

The Aspen Acres fire burning in the Wet Mountains of Southern Colorado grew by about 18,000 acres to more than 73,000 acres since Thursday.

In the early morning hours on Friday, the Pueblo County Sheriff evacuated Colorado City, and by afternoon, everyone in the community of Wetmore in Custer County was also told to leave immediately. Hundreds of structures including the historic lodge at Pueblo Mountain Park in Beulah and many homes have been destroyed.

New mandatory evacuations were called in Huerfano County on Friday evening between “the eastern boundary of national forest land and the intersection between County Road 670 and County Road 660 by Apache City”, west of I-25. Residents should immediately head north towards the disaster assistance center in Pueblo.

Smoke rises from the Aspen Acres fire west of Pueblo. June 30, 2026. — *A large smoke clouds rises from the Aspen Acres fire west of Pueblo as seen from the Wet Mountain Valley west of the fire at sunset on June 30, 2026.*

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A specialized fire team from Alaska took over management of the emergency response for the fire on Thursday. About 1,000 personnel are assigned to work on the fire along with more than a hundred engines, as well as air tankers and helicopters. The aircraft are scooping water from Lake Pueblo reservoir or have flame retardant to drop on targeted areas, especially those moving toward populated areas. National Guard troops will also be deployed to help with traffic control.

Friday morning in Pueblo was weirdly quiet, the sky hazy brown with wildfire smoke. Residents seemed to be mostly staying inside, but the evacuation centers were busy.

a law enforcement officer stands near a line of stopped cars with hazy mountains in the background — *Roads around Colorado City are closed as authorities respond to the Aspen Acres fire burning nearby. July 2, 2026.*

Evacuating at the last minute

The McKissick family evacuated from their home Colorado City in the middle of the night with three dogs, three cats and a snake. Denisia McKissick said they were scared. They could see the fire getting closer and called 911, but didn’t know they had to leave until police knocked on their door at around 3 a.m. and told them to leave.

“It was just mandatory,” Denisia said. “The flames were just getting too close” Her mother, Shirlie May McKissick, added, “Fiery ash was falling on our house and on our faces last night and this morning. We were just crying.”

Denisia and Shirlie left with Shirlie’s mother, Denisia’s grandmother, and went to the emergency shelter in Pueblo. Shirlie said they had to leave the animals at the nearby facility for pets.

“We have our animals in the shelter and they're all scared and it was just such a hassle. Getting them here and then just leaving them is just too hard for us,” she said, holding back tears.

It took them until about 4:30 a.m. to get completely checked in, including the animals.

“It's a hard process and everybody here is crying and not knowing if they lost their house,” Shirlie said.

At least 5,000 people have had to evacuate so far, and new pre-evacuation orders have now been issued for areas in Fremont County north of Wetmore.

Three main evacuation centers have been set up: the St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center in Pueblo, Lange Hall in Westcliffe and Pathfinder Park in Florence. People with livestock are taking them to the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. The Disaster Assistance Center is located at the Pueblo Academy of Arts.

So far there’s space for everyone. Many people in this part of Southern Colorado have lots of connections so a number of evacuees are staying with friends and family. There’s also quite a few that are lodging at hotels. Pueblo County officials told CPR News they are also looking for backup sites to make sure there’s enough space.

Volunteers and donations flood in

On Thursday the United Way of Southern Colorado set up a donation center near the St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center. By Friday morning there were donations of food, blankets, clothing, pet supplies, shoes, baby gear, toiletries and more. Cars and trucks continually pulled into the drop off area with more items while dozens of volunteers sorted it all out

people talk and carry folded towels inside a building — United Way of Southern Colorado president Shanna Farmer (at right) talks to volunteers helping at an evacuation center set up at the St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center in Pueblo after the Aspen Acres wildfire emptied communities west of the city. July 3, 2026.

dry erase boards with messages written on them for evacuees — *A disaster assistance center at the Pueblo Academy of Arts in Pueblo, for Pueblo County and Custer County residents who evacuated due to the Aspen Acres wildfire. July 3, 2026.*

Adam Davidson of Pueblo and his family are among the volunteers. He’s big into gravel biking and has worked and played with many people who live in the places where the fire has burned.

“It's heartbreaking,” he said, tearfully. “It's a small enough community that the people responding are also the people that are impacted – and they're still stepping up. So it's not just your backyard. It's literally your friends. It's literally your friends.”

a man carries a bag of dog food to a table with a box of other items on it — *Adam Davidson volunteers at an evacuation center set up at the St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center in Pueblo after the Aspen Acres wildfire emptied Colorado City, south of town. July 3, 2026.*

Shanna Farmer, the President and CEO for United Way of Southern Colorado said they are accepting monetary donations on the United Way of Southern Colorado website and the physical donation center will be available for as long as it’s needed.

The Davidson family volunteers at the donation center set up near the St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center in Pueblo after the Aspen Acres wildfire emptied Colorado City, Wetmore, Beulah, San Isabel and other communities west of the city. July 3, 2026.

“This is going to take a lot longer than anybody wants to believe or that we're thinking about right now,” Farmer said. “It doesn't end when the fire is under control. It's going to take a long time to help people rebuild.”

One of the people who plans to rebuild is Sid Heptig. He had to evacuate from his home on Monday.

“A firefighter came to the place and said, ‘You got to go, got to go,’” Heptig said. “We could see the fire coming. The fire started six miles from my house ... and we just barely got out. The fire was already on my property, knocking on my door.”

He’s sure his house was destroyed. But he and his family are already planning to rebuild on the property they’ve owned for more than 50 years.

Heptig said there are a lot of people displaced by the fire who are staying at the same hotel as he is. “We have powwows in the morning and during the day in the lobby and everybody's like, ‘What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Did my house survive?’"

The National Weather Service told CPR news that a cold front moving in on Friday should bring a little rain, improving conditions for firefighting, and critical fire conditions will decrease into Sunday.