Aspen Acres Fire Update: Fire Holds at 101,961 Acres, 67% Contained as Community Meeting Set for August 3

Description: The Aspen Acres Fire northwest of Rye remains at 101,961 acres and 67% contained. Firefighters continue suppression repair and patrol operations as officials announce a community meeting for Aug. 3 in Colorado City...


Published: 08/02/2026
Byline: SECO News

Aspen Acres Fire Daily Update – August 2, 2026
 
Fire Information: 719-697-8353 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
Email: 2026.aspenacres@firenet.gov
Location: 10 Miles NW of Rye, CO
Start Date: June 29, 2026
Size: 101,961 acres
Containment: 67%, Total Personnel: 520
 
KEY MESSAGES
 
Rocky Mountain CIMT 3 will host a community meeting on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the P J Craver Middle School, 4850 Crow Cut Off Road, Colorado City. Fire managers and local officials will discuss the current fire status, strategic action plans to protect San Isabel and the San Isabel Watershed, an overview on post-fire recovery, potential impacts due to adverse weather, what to expect, and who to contact.
 
As fire activity continues to moderate, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team is gradually downsizing resources on the Aspen Acres Fire; however, dedicated personnel remain on-site to patrol, monitor, and complete suppression repair. In alignment with this operational right-sizing, the Spanish-language Facebook page will discontinue updates starting today, August 2, 2026, consolidating all official future information onto the primary Aspen Acres Fire 2026 Facebook Page.
 
CURRENT SITUATION
 
Crews on the southwest portion of the fire are securing and reinforcing the main containment lines. Felling teams are removing fire‑weakened trees and hazardous logs near the line to prevent them from falling across the perimeter or creating safety concerns for firefighters. Within the fire interior, pockets of unburned vegetation continue to burn, smolder, and produce visible smoke. This internal burning occurs within the established fire perimeter, and local crews remain on scene to monitor the area and patrol the containment lines.
 
Firefighters are removing equipment across the incident area. Personnel are collecting hose, pumps, and other tactical gear and returning them to the Incident Command Post, where camp crews clean, inspect, and repackage the items. Once processed, equipment is sent back to national supply caches for use on other wildfires. While some crews gather equipment, others are performing suppression repair restoring the land by smoothing out dozer lines, scattering cut vegetation, and implementing measures to prevent soil erosion to help stabilize the landscape.
 
WEATHER
 
Sunday and Monday will see temperatures up to 92°F and minimum humidity down to 11%, with wind gusts of 25 mph during the day and up to 30 mph overnight. A cold front Monday evening will bring cooler temperatures, gusty north winds, and thunderstorms capable of producing flash flooding and debris flows on the burn scar.
 
CLOSURE AND EVACUATIONS
 
There is a Fire Area Closure on the San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike, San Isabel, Comanche and Cimarron National Forest was reduced. The Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness is now open with access only through the Bartlett and Greenhorn trailheads out of Rye. Visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../aspen-acres-fire-area-closure. 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. For evacuation information please visit Pueblo County: www.puebloemergency.info, Custer County: https://www.facebook.com/CCSOAdmin, or Huerfano County: https://huerfano.us/aspen-acres-fire-rye-huerfano/.
 
AIR QUALITY
 
Air quality will be good overall today. We are observing a general haze and moderate morning conditions at Westcliffe, Beulah, and San Isabel. This is due to long-range transport of smoke from the Pacific Northwest fires. To get daily air quality information, visit https://fire.airnow.gov/.
 


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