Sheriff David J. Lucero Supports Major Disaster Declaration for Aspen Acres Fire and Subsequent Flooding

Description: Read Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero’s letter supporting a Major Disaster Declaration for the Aspen Acres Fire and subsequent flooding affecting Southern Colorado communities...

Support for Major Disaster Declaration – Aspen Acres Fire and Subsequent Flooding, Pueblo County, Colorado

To Whom It May Concern:

As Sheriff of Pueblo County, Colorado, I write in strong support of the State of Colorado’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration and federal assistance related to the Aspen Acres Fire and the devastating flooding that has followed in its burn scar.

The people of Pueblo County have endured an extraordinary and continuing disaster.

The Aspen Acres Fire began on June 29 and rapidly grew into one of the most destructive wildfires our region has experienced. The fire ultimately burned approximately 102,000 acres across southern Colorado. In Pueblo County alone, our damage assessment identified 241 homes and businesses destroyed, with the overwhelming majority of those losses occurring in the small communities of Beulah and Rye.

Those numbers, however, cannot adequately convey what has happened to these communities. Hundreds of our residents have lost homes, property, livelihoods, belongings, and places that represented generations of family history. Entire neighborhoods were evacuated. Critical infrastructure was damaged. Residents were displaced for weeks, and first responders from Pueblo County and agencies throughout Colorado worked around the clock to protect lives and property.

For many residents, surviving the fire was only the beginning.

The enormous Aspen Acres burn scar has fundamentally altered the watershed above Beulah and surrounding communities. With vegetation destroyed and soils unable to absorb rainfall normally, subsequent storms have repeatedly produced dangerous flash flooding, debris flows, mud, ash, burned timber, rocks, and other debris.

Residents who had only recently been allowed to return following the fire have been forced to evacuate again because of flooding. Roads and bridges have been damaged or washed out. Homes and vehicles have been inundated. Access routes have been compromised.

First responders have conducted water rescues while continuing to support a community already exhausted by the wildfire.

The National Weather Service has issued repeated flash flood emergencies for the Aspen Acres burn scar, including warnings describing conditions as life-threatening and catastrophic. These are not theoretical future risks. They are occurring now, and they are occurring repeatedly.

Tragically, this past weekend, flash flooding caused by the burn scar from the Aspen Acres Fire resulted in the loss of a life in the Beulah community. That death underscores the reality facing Pueblo County: the impacts of the Aspen Acres Fire did not end when the flames passed.

The wildfire and the flooding that has followed must be understood as a connected and continuing disaster. The fire stripped the landscape of its natural protections, and subsequent rainfall is now creating dangerous runoff and debris flows through the same communities that suffered devastating wildfire losses only weeks ago. Families attempting to rebuild after the fire are instead facing repeated flooding, additional property damage, continued evacuations, disrupted access, and uncertainty every time thunderstorms develop over the burn scar.

Our deputies, firefighters, emergency managers, public works employees, communication officers, search-and-rescue personnel, volunteers, nonprofit partners, and neighboring jurisdictions have responded extraordinarily. I could not be more proud of them. Likewise, the resilience and generosity demonstrated by the people of Beulah, Rye, Colorado City, and the greater Pueblo County community have been remarkable.

But resilience should not be mistaken for an unlimited ability to recover without assistance.

The magnitude of the destruction, the continuing threat to public safety, the damage to homes and infrastructure, and the long-term recovery needs created by the Aspen Acres Fire and subsequent flooding exceed the resources of the affected communities and place a substantial burden on Pueblo County and our local partners.

Federal assistance is needed not simply to repair what has already been damaged, but to help these communities recover safely and to mitigate the very real danger that remains. I strongly support the availability of both FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for this disaster. Individual Assistance is critical to helping affected residents and families recover from devastating personal losses, while Public Assistance is necessary to help Pueblo County, local jurisdictions, and eligible partners address the extraordinary costs of emergency response, debris removal, infrastructure damage, and recovery.

As Sheriff, my foremost responsibility is protecting life and property. I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary demands this disaster has placed on our citizens and first responders. I respectfully urge FEMA to recognize the severity, interconnected nature, and continuing consequences of this disaster and to provide the federal resources necessary to support Pueblo County and the State of Colorado in recovery.

On behalf of the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens we serve, I strongly support the Governor’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, including authorization of both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for Pueblo County.

Our community has endured fire, displacement, destruction, repeated flooding, and now the loss of life. We are committed to recovery, but we cannot do it alone.

Thank you for your consideration and for your support of the people of Pueblo County.

Yours in Service,

David J. Lucero, MPS
Pueblo County Sheriff

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