Day 3 of Aspen Acres Fire in Pueblo County expected to bring more red flag conditions
Scott Harrison
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Firefighters are hoping for some level of containment Wednesday on the wildfire that grew far less on Tuesday than when it erupted on Monday.
Authorities revealed on Tuesday that the fire has grown from 23,000 acres to more than 28,000 as of 3 p.m., with containment at 0%.
But firefighters expect another day of red flag conditions that will bring temperatures in the 90s, with strong winds and a continued high fire risk.
KRDO 13 has a crew roughly halfway between Beulah and Colorado City, at the three-way intersection of Burnt Mill Road, 3R Road and Crow Cutoff.
That’s where a checkpoint remains in place by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, and where fire crews are gaining access to the fire via 3R Road.
On Tuesday, the fire was moving in two directions: west and north; as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, a smoke plume re-formed on the west end where the fire burned previously.
KRDO 13 spoke with a property owner who decided against evacuating, and said that strong winds blew some of the flames past his home — a home he’s had for ten years, and now hopes to sell it.
Monday’s strong winds, which prevented the use of aerial resources, subsided enough on Tuesday to allow two planes to drop retardant on the fire.
There were some new evacuations in the area on Tuesday, and only property owners with livestock could opt to remain.
The air was fairly thick with smoke at dawn on Wednesday, obscuring the full moon and turning the rising sun to a deep red.
Late Tuesday night, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office announced that the official investigation into the fire’s cause has begun and will be conducted by the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
The office also said that crews expected to finish building a temporary bridge late Tuesday night to replace a century-old Colorado Department of Transportation bridge that burned and collapsed during the fire.
KRDO 13 will provide updates as they become available.