The number of structures destroyed in the Aspen Acres fire climbed to at least 180 in Pueblo and Custer counties Wednesday as the fast-moving wildfire expanded to more than 35,000 acres and continued pushing toward populated areas.
A complex incident management team from Alaska is en route to assume command of the fire, and will bring additional personnel and wildfire expertise to support firefighting efforts, Pueblo County Sheriff Dave Lucero said during an update Wednesday afternoon.
Officials estimated the fire at roughly 35,467 acres and 0% contained, but Phil Daniel, incident commander with Team Colorado, a multiagency team under the state’s fire division, said the fire is likely much larger than that. Another flight is scheduled Wednesday evening to get an updated size.
“There will be additional structures lost, some may have already been lost, we don’t know about them, but there will be expansion of this fire,” Daniel said.
Dry timber, overgrown grass, single-digit humidity levels — as low as 3% — and sustained 30 mph winds are causing the fire to spread rapidly.
Lucero estimated that 125 structures have burned in Pueblo County, an increase of 25 from Tuesday.
The number of homes lost in Custer was likely higher than the estimated 55 from Tuesday, but it was unsafe for crews to enter the neighborhood to get an updated count, Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith said.
The fire is roughly 2 miles from Bishop Castle, a popular roadside attraction in Custer County, and 7 miles from the unincorporated community of Wetmore, officials said.
“This has become a national fight and we are focusing toward getting a status normal for the people of Beulah, Rye, Lake Isabel, Colorado City … and the larger counties of Custer and Pueblo,” Daniel said. “We’re working hard at it.”
Once the Alaska team arrives, Daniel estimated between 750 and 1,000 firefighters will be assigned to the fire.
“As for priorities in the nation and availability of resources to come here, we are the No. 1 spot,” Daniel said.
Officials said it will be several days until people are likely able to return to their homes.
Overnight the fire expanded northwest and on Wednesday the fire moved east, prompting more mandatory evacuations, Lucero said.
Snyder fire
Firefighters battling the 30,215-acre fire on the Western Slope gained ground, bringing the Snyder fire to 10% containment, officials said Wednesday morning.
Crews made significant progress Tuesday, establishing a control line along the fire’s southwestern flank, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1. Firefighters plan to continue looking for areas to safely engage with the fire’s perimeter and strengthen containment lines.
A Type 1 Skycrane helicopter, which can carry 2,650 gallons of water, flew over the eastern side of the fire, cooling it down significantly, officials said. The fire slowed as it chewed through all of the fuels and reached a rocky area.
The wind-driven Snyder fire, which is burning along the Colorado-Utah border, killed three firefighters during its initial attack and prompted Mesa County’s largest-ever evacuation of 123 campers and six dogs near the Colorado River as the fire spread through rugged terrain.
On Tuesday, Nick Ostrom, operation section chief, said conditions looked more favorable for firefighters, but crews remained on ready for winds to pick up.
“Minimal growth the last couple of the days and that was because of the weather, especially the winds have been much lighter,” Ostrom, operations section chief said in a recorded briefing on the fire.
“Our firefighters are on high alert just in case this fire picks up and tries to do what it did a couple days ago.”
Gold Mountain fire
Strong winds fueled the large wildfire burning 2 miles northeast of Ouray, pushing flames east across the Cow Creek drainage, according to a Wednesday morning update from the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3.
The fire was estimated at nearly 15,000 acres Wednesday morning.
The fire made a significant run up Stealy Mountain and moved northeast toward the Owl Creek Pass area, prompting evacuations for hikers and dispersed campers out of the Silverjack and West Fork of the Cimarron drainage area in the San Juan mountains, officials said.
On Wednesday, firefighters are working to prevent the fire from spreading south toward Ouray.
On the western side of the fire, steep terrain is limiting firefighters’ ability to extinguish the flames directly. Aerial crews will be scouting areas where ground crews can safely construct firelines and continue to protect the Highway 550 corridor and structures at risk, officials said.
The fire could be more active Wednesday morning because of dry air overnight. Temperatures are expected between 78 and 82 degrees and relative humidity levels as low as 9%.
“Expect to see moderate to extreme fire behavior throughout the course of the day,” officials wrote in an update.
Ferris fire
The Ferris fire, burning 15 miles northwest of Dolores, scorched 23,287 acres as of Wednesday morning — up by about 2,000 acres the day before.
But federal officials said the fire did not grow significantly in the northeast, closest to evacuated homes. Crews performed a burnout operation to remove unburned fuel from the fire and National Forest Service Road 240 to create a containment line to protect the Glade Ranch subdivision.
The lightning-caused fire has not reached private lands or the Benchmark Lookout Tower.
Helicopters making water drops support firefighters on the ground Tuesday, but high winds with gusts up to 50 mph are expected Wednesday, which could ground all aerial crews.
Willow fire
Fire crews worked Tuesday to build a fire line on the east side of the fire to keep the flames from moving toward Leadville. The fire is burning about 6 miles to the west of Leadville. More firefighters were brought in Tuesday to work overnight, and the plan for Wednesday is to reinforce that line. There are nearly 200 firefighters working the fire as of Tuesday evening.
The Willow fire, which has burned 2,011 acres as of Wednesday morning, started Sunday afternoon about 2 miles northwest of the Leadville fish hatchery and moved to the north toward Turquoise Lake. No injuries have been reported and no structures have burned as of Wednesday morning.
High-elevation terrain, limited road access and critically dry vegetation continue to complicate suppression efforts, officials said.
Big Sheep fire
Pre evacuation orders are still in effect for the Big Sheep fire that has burned 1,148 acres since being first reported Monday afternoon near Moonshine Ranch, which is west of Walsenburg.
A Helitack crew from the state’s fire division is working with firefighters on the ground to attack hot spots and build containment lines, the Huerfano County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The fire was about 30% contained, as of Tuesday. The cause of the fire has not been released.
This is a developing story that will be updated.