The Aspen Acres Fire, one of about 40 wildfires burning across western US, has destroyed homes and forced evacuations. Published On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver has forced thousands of people to flee, as strong winds continue to drive flames across southern Colorado.The blaze is one of about 40 large fires currently burning across the western United States.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listDubbed the Aspen Acres Fire, the conflagration exploded in size, growing by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) overnight to reach a total of 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday.More than 160 structures have been destroyed in the fire. Experts say that months of dry weather and record-low snowfall in parts of the region – exacerbated by climate change – have created dangerous wildfire conditions.Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 2,200 people in Colorado City, along with residents of the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel.Smoke from the fire has also disrupted travel, with Colorado emergency officials warning that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 has dropped to as little as a half a mile – or 0.8 kilometres.As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah. Advertisement In Utah itself, another blaze — the Cottonwood Fire — had grown to more than 380sq kilometres (147sq miles) by Friday, while the …
