Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Southern Colorado

Rye Evacuations Continue As Aspen Acres Fire Nears 100,000 Acres
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Rye Evacuations Continue As Aspen Acres Fire Nears 100,000 Acres

By: Savannah Eller and Nick Smith | The Denver Gazette The wait has no end in sight for evacuated residents of Rye, near where the Aspen Acres fire continues to burn in rough, tinder-dry terrain to the west. While about 6,400 people have been able to return to communities like Colorado City, Wetmore and Beulah, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero told attendees at a community meeting Tuesday night that conditions were not yet safe for an additional 3,000 displaced people. “I wish I had the answer,” he said. The problem, explained Brad Washa, operations section chief with the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team, is fuel and weather. He said the part of the fire burning near St. Charles Peak is finding extremely receptive fuel in Engelman spruce trees, many of ...
Aspen Acres Fire Tops 91,000 Acres as New Evacuations Hit Fremont County
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Aspen Acres Fire Tops 91,000 Acres as New Evacuations Hit Fremont County

By: Dana Coffield | The Colorado Sun The Willow fire near Leadville grew by 900 acres overnight spurring mandatory evacuation of areas southwest of the city. Ouray 100 race canceled because of Gold Mountain fire. The Aspen Acres fire southwest of Pueblo made another surge Sunday, bringing the total acres burned to 91,523, federal fire officials said, and making it the seventh largest wildfire on record in Colorado. Authorities said Thursday the fire was human-caused but released no further details about its origin as it raced northeast from near the Aspen Acres campground across Pueblo County, where it forced the evacuation of the towns of Beulah, Colorado City, Rye, San Isabel and Wetmore. Around 8:15 p.m. Sunday, the Fremont County sheriff issued a mandator...
Community Steps Up as Aspen Acres Fire Grows Across Southern Colorado
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Community Steps Up as Aspen Acres Fire Grows Across Southern Colorado

By Gabriela Vidal, Jack Lowenstein, Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado The has grown significantly and forced new evacuations. Southern Colorado authorities said the wildfire, which has destroyed more than 180 structures — including an unknown number of homes — has burned 55,405 acres since it began on Monday.  The fire is the largest in the region currently and is burning in Pueblo and Custer counties. It's the country's No. 1 firefighting priority, officials said in a news conference on Wednesday. There have been strong, sustained winds in the area, and no meaningful moisture in the forecast, which caused further growth throughout the day on Thursday. "It breaks my heart every day, just seeing it grow and grow, and there's nothing you can do about it either,"...
Mexican drug cartels are operating in southern Colorado, DEA agent says
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Mexican drug cartels are operating in southern Colorado, DEA agent says

By Sarah Ferguson | Fox 31 News Two Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. are operating in Colorado, said the Drug Enforcement Administration. As part of an exclusive, new partnership with the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, Nexstar’s FOX21 News in Colorado Springs spoke to Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen about the unprecedented action the DEA is taking to target every aspect of the global fentanyl supply chain. “We use technology to identify who they are, where they are, who they are communicating with and we try to identify the entire network; so, the distribution side, the supply side, and the money laundering side and we try to go after all of those folks at the same time,” said Pullen. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX...
Mexican drug cartels are operating in southern Colorado, DEA says
Approved, Fox21, Local

Mexican drug cartels are operating in southern Colorado, DEA says

By Sarah Ferguson | Fox21 News Two Mexican drug cartels that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said are responsible for the fentanyl smuggled into the U.S., are operating in Colorado. As part of an exclusive, new partnership with the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, FOX21 News spoke to Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen about the unprecedented action the DEA is taking to target every aspect of the global fentanyl supply chain. “We use technology to identify who they are, where they are, who they are communicating with, and we try to identify the entire network; so the distribution side, the supply side, and the money laundering side and we try to go after all of those folks at the same time,” said Pullen. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX21 NEWS