Tag: Colorado Fire

Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado surpasses 100,000 acres, reaches 61% containment

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On Friday, fire crews in southern Colorado managed to improve containment of the Aspen Acres Fire, even as the wildfire grew to approximately 100,223 acres. The Aspen Acres Fire is the largest wildfire burning in the State of Colorado and is the seventh-largest wildfire by acreage in the state’s history, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. This estimate would make the Aspen Acres Fire slightly smaller than the 2018 Spring Creek Fire, which burned 108,045 acres. (This does not include the West Fork Complex, which consisted of multiple fires that burned in close proximity.)

The Aspen Acres Fire seen in the distance from Rye, Colo., on July 13, 2026. Rye Fire Protection District Extreme fire conditions present when the fire sparked have eased somewhat, but the area still faces moderate fire danger. Strategic Operations Chief Manny Mendoza says the increase in moisture and calmer winds have allowed crews to be more aggressive in their containment efforts without putting the firefighters in as much danger. So far, they have reached 61% containment. Mendoza says the Aspen Acres Fire was considered the largest fire disaster in the country yesterday until fires in the northwest intensified, making it more challenging to obtain out-of-state resources.

He said crews are trying to “squeeze the box” to limit the fire’s growth, which involves riskier approaches where possible as they work to strengthen the fire line and increase containment. Dozer line along Highway 165 on the Northwestern side of the Aspen Acres Fire Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 6 Some evacuations have been downgraded, but Mendoza stressed it’s important to be careful as they don’t want people to return home prematurely. In a letter to the community on Monday, Rye Fire Protection District Fire Chief Ross Gallegos empathized with residents anxious to return, but warned that the fire is only two miles from the town and remains a threat to public safety.

He urged residents to be patient and asked those already allowed to return not to travel beyond established checkpoints without authorization. Huerfano County Commissioner Mitchell Wardell said that Huerfano County is entering a water conservation notice and asked residents to help save water. The U.S. Forest Service reminded nearby residents that, even as containment of the fire grows, it will likely take a while for it to be completely under control.

Source: Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado surpasses 100,000 acres, reaches 61% containment – CBS Colorado

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
Jeremiah 31:25

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Utah wildfires: Three firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires rage across the Southwest

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Five firefighters standing on a rocky ridge looking at a large forest wildfire at night

Three firefighters have died battling a fast-moving blaze along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said, as dozens of infernos rage across the Southwest, with Utah imposing sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day. The National Weather Service has issued the highest possible fire weather risk, warning that dry air and windy gusts pose an “extremely critical” risk of fire conditions over the Four Corners region this weekend. The three firefighters died while battling the fast-growing Snyder Mesa Fire, which has burned more than 28,000 acres along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service said late Saturday.

Two others were injured and transported to hospital, the service said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Saturday in Mesa County in reaction to the blaze, which he said had crossed into Colorado from Utah, and authorized the state’s National Guard to support response efforts. Utah’s governor announced last week firework restrictions for Fourth of July, saying a historic drought, hundreds of wildfires and unprecedented fire behavior have stretched Utah’s firefighting resources to the brink. “Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different,” Cox said. “We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.”

The fire threat is so severe that the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City issued its first-ever “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning, which covers central and southern Utah and includes the Cottonwood Fire, the state’s largest active blaze. “This is a temporary measure for an extraordinary year,” Cox said of the fireworks ban. “It protects lives and homes while allowing local leaders, working alongside their fire officials, to identify areas where fireworks can be used safely.” In some municipalities, local leaders working alongside fire officials will designate approved areas where fireworks can still be used under safer conditions. The Cottonwood Fire, burning through the Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, Utah, has grown to more than 92,000 acres as of Saturday morning, an area bigger than Salt Lake City, in just a few days and remains 0% contained as of Saturday night.

Evacuations are in place for the fire, which state and local officials believe is likely Utah’s most destructive and costly wildfire on record. Its cause is still under investigation. A total of 1,066 personnel are battling the Cottonwood Fire, where crews have been warned to stay vigilant of the dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior. “We always have safety first out there, and as soon as we see things or we start getting feelings, we’ve told the guys they don’t like it, disengage, get to a safe place,” Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson for the fire’s emergency management team, told CNN affiliate KSL. State officials also warned that anyone whose illegal actions ignite a wildfire could face steep criminal charges and substantial civil liability for the damage caused. Beloved cabins and lifelong memories reduced to ashes As officials continue assessing the ongoing damage, the full toll of the Cottonwood Fire remains unknown.

But across the Beaver Mountain community, residents are already grieving the loss of cherished cabins and family retreats that held generations of memories. For Evan Stapley, Beaver Mountain was more than a weekend getaway — it was woven into his family’s history. “To me, nothing’s more beautiful than Beaver Mountain in the fall,” Stapley told CNN affiliate KSL. “The aspen yellow, and you get the reds in there and all the greens. There is nothing more beautiful in the world.” Now, the cabin where those memories were made has been reduced to ash. Stapley said he learned it had burned in the Cottonwood Fire after a friend sent him video of the spot where it once stood. “I saw that and went, ‘That’s just unbelievable,’” he told KSL. “The fire must have moved so fast and twirled around in there and just took it … I cried,” he added.

“I’ve got too many memories, too many memories of that place.” The fire also dealt a devastating blow to Eagle Point Ski Resort, where several buildings were damaged or destroyed. In a Facebook post, owner Shane Gadbaw said the resort will remain closed as it recovers from what he called a catastrophe. “We are thankful that to our knowledge, there have been no human casualties from the fire,” Gadbaw said in a Facebook post. Residents gathered Friday in Piute County as the Cottonwood Fire pushed closer, with flames visible in the distance and smoke settling across the valley, to hear updates and discuss emergency response plans, CNN affiliate KSTU reported. During the meeting, Nick Schenk of Great Basin Team 5, one of the first responders who fought the blaze Monday, delivered an emotional account of the battle against the fire. “We did everything we absolutely could.

We called for every bit of help we could find. And about all we could do was get people out of the way of it,” Schenk told KSTU. Photos shared by the resort Thursday showed a handful of lodges still standing amid a landscape of blackened trees. Farther north, the Iron Fire near Eureka, Utah, has burned more than 40,000 acres after forcing evacuations earlier this week. Nearby, the Cherry Fire, sparked by lightning Friday morning, has already grown to more than 30,000 acres. Another blaze, the Wild Goose Fire, ignited near Holden on Friday, adding to a growing list of active wildfires across Utah. State fire officials estimated by Saturday evening it had burned over 10,000 acres as crews worked to assess and contain its spread.

Source: Utah wildfires: Three firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires rage across the Southwest | CNN

For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
Romans 14:11

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