Hundreds of firefighters from across the country will descend upon Pueblo and Custer counties for weeks to combat the 28,362-acre Aspen Acres fire that broke out Monday morning.

The fire injured one Westcliffe firefighter and claimed 55 structures in Custer County and more than 100 in Pueblo County as of Tuesday afternoon, incident commander Phil Daniels said at a news conference.

Sheriff’s offices said that 55 structures in Custer County and more than 100 in Pueblo County, respectively, were “lost” as of Tuesday afternoon. They didn’t specify if they were totally destroyed or at another level of damage. One firefighter from nearby Westcliffe was injured, but the extent of those injuries was not released.

Firefighters had gained no containment on the Aspen Acres fire and it remains the first priority for firefighting resources in the United States despite numerous other fires igniting in the Four Corners states, receiving support from at least seven air tankers Tuesday.

Still, incident commander Phil Daniels said every fire agency within 100 miles responded to mutual aid requests, amounting to 250 firefighters by Tuesday. He anticipated the number of firefighters will increase to between 650 and 700 in the coming days.

“It’s been very challenging to get resources,” Daniels said. “We’re the fifth fire in about the last four days in Colorado … and when you’re the last one to call for aid, sometimes that aid isn’t immediately available.”

The sheriffs of Pueblo and Custer counties raised incident command on Monday to the state level, which will be taken over Thursday by a “larger” incident command team from Alaska.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by federal and state officials. The National Interagency Fire Center reported the fire was human-caused, but incident command officials discredited the claim because they have been unable to reach the origin.

The fire initially broke out at around 40 acres along Colorado 165 near San Isabel, about 40 miles southwest of Pueblo, around 6 a.m. Monday.

Officials in each county have offered residents of nearby Rye, Beulah and other surrounding areas shelter while they remain under evacuation orders. Another order was issued around 6 p.m. Tuesday for residents of the North Creek area.

As of Tuesday evening, the Pueblo County Recreation Center had 21 evacuees, while the Wetmore Community Center had none.

In Pueblo, donations can be dropped off from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. near the center at 1543 Cooper Place. Donations were halted on Monday due to excess supplies, but as of Tuesday protein snacks, baby supplies, laundry supplies, and personal and feminine hygiene products were still needed.

In Wetmore, Custer County Commissioner Paul Vogelsong helped Red Cross workers set up the shelter shortly after evacuation orders were given on Monday and remained to help the next day despite no one showing up.

He told The Gazette he believed the lack of evacuees demonstrates how connected the community is by helping temporarily relocate their neighbors.

“It’s just a community that chips in when the chips are down and goes to work,” Vogelsong said. “They don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and putting gloves on.”

Although, he noted that once evacuees not staying at the shelter realize they have lost their home, the Custer County shelter, which will be relocated to Westcliffe on Wednesday, would likely become more occupied.

All of the 55 structures impacted in the county were dwellings, which Vogelsong said firefighters focused on saving in their efforts.

Custer County residents may be able to return to assess the damage to their property, according to Vogelsong, although a timeline has not been provided by incident command. Daniels, the incident commander, estimated on Tuesday that firefighters could spend an additional three to four weeks combating the Aspen Acres fire.

While favorable conditions benefited crews on Tuesday morning, thunderstorms rolling through the area in the late afternoon created wind gusts strong enough to hamper firefighting efforts, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

Pueblo and Custer counties remain under a red flag warning Wednesday as humidity values may drop below 10% with south-southwest wind gusts up to 40 mph. Possible thunderstorms are also forecast again in Pueblo County, where temperatures in the upper 80s and into 90s are expected this week.

A fire weather watch is slated for Thursday, as Weather Service meteorologists in Pueblo say dry, hot conditions will fuel “critical to possibly extreme fire weather conditions.”

Some relief may be provided over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and into next week, as slower winds and rain are forecast – albeit with some uncertainty.

“Time will tell,” the Weather Service Pueblo Tuesday afternoon forecast discussion stated.

The Aspen Acres fire is one of two burning in southeast Colorado. In Huerfano County, officials say a fire with a perimeter around 1,100 acres is 50% contained after igniting on Monday afternoon.