Aspen Acres Fire Grows to 85,585 Acres as Hundreds More Firefighters Join Response

Description: The Aspen Acres Fire has grown to 85,585 acres with 0% containment. More than 665 personnel are battling the wildfire as evacuations remain in effect across multiple counties.

Aspen Acres Fire Update

Saturday, July 4, 2026 – 8:00 a.m.

Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1

Jake Livingston, Incident Commander

Size: 85,585 acres  

Containment: 0%  

Total Personnel: Approximately 665

Location: 10 Miles NW of Rye, CO in Custer and Pueblo Counties

Reported: June 29, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. 

Cause: Human, Under Investigation

Fire Information Phone Line: 719.697.8353  

Email: 2026.aspenacres@firenet.gov

Fire Update: Over 300 additional firefighters arrived at the fire Friday and more than that is expected to check in Saturday. The fire exhibited extreme fire behavior again Friday but a change in the weather has increased relative humidity and cloud cover overnight. These weather changes moderated fire behavior but areas along CO-165 Highway from Lake Isabel to Colorado City, Siloam Road and Red Creek remained active overnight with the fire continuing to advance and impact structures. 

Point protection for structures continued through the day Friday and overnight. The fire has made it to CO-165 Highway and crossed in several places. Mop-up around structures in Colorado City where the fire passed is ongoing to extinguish hot spots and prevent the fire from re-kindling. Dozer line has been constructed north of Rye and in places along the western edge of Colorado City, as well as on the eastern edge of the fire, south of the St. Charles River, along Muddy Creek where the fire is approaching South Crow Cutoff. On the northeastern part of the fire, point protection along Siloam Road continues with dozer line construction around the area of Galbeth Creek and Wales Canyon. On the most northern portion of the fire, firefighters are taking advantage of terrain features and roads to tie in fire line with existing fire breaks.

Weather: Saturday morning’s higher relative humidities and cloud cover will shift into warming and drying conditions by the early afternoon. Thunderstorms are expected to begin in the mid-afternoon to the northwest and east of the fire, increasing the chances of lightning. The main concern with those thunderstorms is going to be outflow wind gusts. Outflow winds can be erratic, gusting 45-55 mph and can travel quite a distance from the storm cells. 

Fire Behavior: Relative humidity will drop back to single digits Saturday afternoon. Satellite thermal detection indicates many areas of heat remain and will be a concern as storm cells form. 

Fire Restrictions & Closures: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect in Custer and Pueblo Counties, as well as on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. There is an Aspen Acres Fire Area Closure for the San Carlos Ranger District. Visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/alerts/aspen-acres-fire-area-closure

Evacuations: Evacuations are in place across Custer, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano Counties. Please call the Joint Information Center (JIC) at 719-583-4640 for information about closures, evacuations, Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) information, and more for Pueblo and Custer Counties. Huerfano and Fremont County residents should visit their county’s social media pages or call 719-738-1044 for Huerfano County dispatch and 719-276-7421 for the Fremont County Emergency Operations Center. 

There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in place above the fire area. Flying any aircraft within the TFR is prohibited. This includes the use of drones, or unmanned aerial systems.

The public and members of the media should monitor the following official websites: www.puebloemergency.info, www.facebook.com/AspenAcresFire2026, https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/copsf-aspen-acres-fire

Follow Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Facebook at www.facebook.com/PuebloSheriff and X: @PuebloCountySO https://x.com/PuebloCountySO.

Follow Custer County Sheriff’s Office Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CCSOAdmin 

Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Custer County Sheriff's Office Fremont County Sheriff's Office - Colorado Huerfano County Government

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