Tag: custer county
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Gov. Polis requests FEMA aid in recovery from Aspen Acres, Gold Mountain wildfires
Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday requested a major disaster declaration from President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for families and communities in three counties recovering from the damage wrought by the still-active Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires, according to a news release. “The Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires destroyed over…
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Colorado wildfires: Aspen Acres surpasses 101,000 acres burned
The Aspen Acres fire in Pueblo and Custer counties has grown by nearly 800 acres since Monday, hitting the 101,546-acre mark, officials announced Tuesday on social media. The fire, the seventh-largest in Colorado history by acreage burned, remained 61% contained and had 1,256 assigned personnel on Tuesday, down about 50 from a day earlier. Some…
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Aspen Acres fire: Mandatory evacuations are back for some residents planning returns to homes
Some residents in Custer County were planning for a return to their homes Monday as evacuation orders related to the Aspen Acres fire had been eased in the morning, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Temperatures in the 80s and humidity below 30% helped the fire on the west side of the boundary, including in…
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More Aspen Acres fire evacuations lifted in Custer County
As firefighters work to gain containment on the 100,000-acre Aspen Acres fire, more evacuation orders have been lifted in Custer County. On Monday morning, officials announced that Zone C3’s mandatory evacuation order has been rolled back to a pre-evacuation order, and Zone C4 is now open for reentry. Reentry cards are needed for anyone attempting…
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San Isabel Electric faces lawsuit over Aspen Acres fire in southern Colorado
Plaintiffs allege power lines played a ‘substantial’ part in the fire’s cause Four people have filed a complaint against the San Isabel Electric Association, claiming the company is responsible for the start of the Aspen Acres fire. The plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit the fire was started by downed power lines owned by the company…
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Custer County sheriff: Some evacuees get green-light to return Friday
The authorities will allow some evacuees of the Aspen Acres fire to return home Friday, but residents along Colorado 165 should “continue to be alert for changes in fire behavior,” Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith said Thursday. Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, Zone C5C — the area around North Creek Boulevard to the west of Wetmore…
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Bishop Castle still standing at last report despite being inside of wildfire boundary
Amid the spread of the devastating Aspen Acres fire that’s now reached 91,523 acres with 12 percent containment, a frequent point of discussion was how the iconic Bishop Castle would fare. As Watch Duty showed the perimeter inching closer to this attraction, concern about its fate became widespread. Painstakingly created by Jim Bishop between 1969…
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Colorado wildfire roundup: Aspen Acres explodes to 23,000 acres, evacuations from Custer County to I-25
Multiple wildfires continue to burn across Colorado, forcing several evacuations and road closures, according to local and state officials. The fastest-growing and largest fire was first reported at 40 acres around 6 a.m. Monday and began in Custer County near the Pueblo County line. It rapidly grew northeastward to more than 23,100 acres by 5…
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Southern Colorado residents evacuate, then wait and wonder
Towers of smoke were slowly encircling Mountain Shadows Mobile Estates Monday afternoon. A few makeshift sprinklers worked furiously at the western edge of the mobile home community, but hard wind blew ash into scrubby yards. Sandy Merrill paced outside her home while sister Joyce Johnson sat nearby, back to the blaze. Both had evacuated from…
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Custer County commissioner suspected of tax evasion
Bill Canda, a Custer County commissioner, was arrested Friday on suspicion of tax evasion following an investigation by state authorities. Canda turned himself in at the Custer County Sheriff’s Office in Westcliffe, according to a social media post by the Sheriff’s Office. He faces a charge of one count of tax evasion, a class 6…