Colorado Wildfire Forces Evacuations as Community Rallies to Help

The wildfire in Southern Colorado has expanded significantly, prompting additional evacuations. Authorities report that the fire has destroyed over 180 structures, affecting an unspecified number of homes, and has burned 55,405 acres since starting on Monday. This blaze is currently the largest in the region, affecting Pueblo and Custer counties.

Officials have labeled it the nation’s top firefighting priority. A press conference on Wednesday highlighted the ongoing threat due to strong winds and the lack of rain in the forecast. Community members express their distress over these conditions.

It breaks my heart every day, just seeing it grow and grow, and there’s nothing you can do about it either, said Sady Stinchcomb, from Three Sisters Tavern & Grill in nearby Colorado City.

Areas evacuated now include Buelah, Rye, and San Isabel, with expanded evacuations to the north and south. Southern Fremont County, located north of the fire, is also on pre-evacuation alert. Derick Collins, a resident, shares his experience of receiving a 911 evacuation call.

Collins explained, “We got the 911 call at about 2:30,” after relocating to Colorado City. “I packed what I could and got the expensive stuff, but you can’t load everything,” acknowledging the difficulty of evacuating under such urgent conditions.

Collins and others focus on safety, trying not to dwell on the potential damage, as containment of the fire remains at 0%. “It’s sad to see a lot of people, a lot of livelihoods out here, a lot of houses, a lot of businesses, ranches, farms. I mean, it’s sad to see nothing you can do about it, except watch it go,” he noted.

Amidst the chaos, local businesses like Three Sisters Tavern & Grill offer support. Ortiz, a manager at the tavern, described efforts to aid evacuees and first responders with food and water. “It just kind of felt surreal, like everywhere you look around, campers are loaded up, everybody’s got their ATVs on trailers, so it was just kind of like panic mode,” she shared.

Ortiz recalls the community’s tension since the Aspen Acres Fire’s onset. “We just walked around the parking lot the first day. A lot of people came to our parking lot just to watch the fires. We walked around with bottled water, kept our bathrooms open all night, that way people can go in and at least have water and facilities, whatever they need,” she recounted.

Collins joins other onlookers, anxious about the fire threatening more homes. “We get down here and see it coming around the ridge, so that’s not good,” he remarked.

Three Sisters Tavern & Grill has collected over $1,000 in community donations to support first responders and those affected. Investigations continue to determine the human cause of the fire.