Colorado Wildfires, 2026

Photo: A view of the Aspen Acres Fire west of Pueblo, posted July 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Aspen Acres Fire Incident Management Team Facebook/Gary Mobbs)

This story by Lindsey Toomer appeared on Colorado Newsline on July 6, 2026.

Communities across Colorado are under evacuation and pre-evacuation orders as crews respond to multiple large-scale wildfires under high-risk weather conditions.

The largest active fire is the Aspen Acres Fire outside of Pueblo, which grew to more than 91,000 acres over the weekend, making it the seventh largest wildfire in Colorado history. Evacuation and preevacuation orders are in place for parts of Custer, Pueblo, Fremont and Huerfano counties.

Crews fighting the fire have reached 12% containment. The Alaska Complex Incident Management Team is leading response efforts to the Aspen Acres Fire, with support from other units from Colorado, California and the U.S. Forest Service.

The human-caused fire has destroyed more than 200 structures across Pueblo and Custer counties. Response teams planned to hold a community meeting Monday at Centennial High School in Pueblo, to be livestreamed.

The St. Charles Recreation Center in Pueblo and Pathfinder Park in Fremont are open as shelters for families and small household animals, with support from the American Red Cross of Southern Colorado. People with livestock can bring their animals to the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.

United Way of Southern Colorado is running a Disaster Assistance Center at the Pueblo Academy of the Arts school and can help people with food, mental health and health services, insurance claims and case management, and other issues that could arise from the fire. United Way is also accepting donations.

More than 1,300 personnel are working to contain the Aspen Acres Fire, and hundreds more crew members are deployed to fight fires in other parts of the state:

• The 47,000-acre Ferris Fire north of Dolores is 21% contained, though evacuation orders remain in place in Dolores and Montezuma counties. More than 500 personnel are working to contain the fire.
• The Gold Mountain Fire outside of Ouray is over 27,000 acres and is 3% contained. Gunnison County issued evacuation orders for certain parts of the county after the fire extended north into southern parts of the county. Over 800 people are fighting the fire. The Ridgway Secondary School is open as an evacuation shelter.
• The Snyder Fire on the Colorado-Utah border in Mesa County is 95% contained after growing to over 30,000 acres. Three firefighters died while fighting the fire at the end of June. Over 450 people are assigned to work on the Snyder Fire.
• The Willow Fire west of Leadville is just over 4,000 acres and 1% contained, and parts of Lake County are under evacuation and pre-evacuation orders. About 550 people are working to contain the Willow Fire. The Darren Patterson Christian Academy in Buena Vista is serving as an evacuation shelter where pets are welcome.
• The Big Sheep Fire, which grew to 1,300 acres in Huerfano County, was 100% contained as of Monday.

Disaster declarations
Anyone around a wildfire can sign up for emergency alerts from their county to get the latest information on evacuations. Counties and response crews continue to update evacuation maps designating different zones around the fires that are subject to mandatory or pre-evacuation orders.

Coloradans in need of resources can dial or text 211, which can connect people with agencies and other services that can help navigate changing needs for those affected by the fires.

Mile High United Way and Airbnb are offering free emergency housing for people displaced by fires in Colorado. The Western Colorado Community Foundation established a response and recovery fund accepting donations to support people affected by the fires.

Colorado has an online disaster recovery tool that explains the steps affected residents and business owners should take as they recover from the fires.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued disaster declarations for most of the fires, opening up more state resources as well as Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to support firefighting efforts. Polis authorized the National Guard to assist with any of the fires in the state.

Fire restrictions are in place in most Colorado counties.

Polis declared a statewide drought emergency in Colorado in June with “severe” or “extreme” drought across the state.

The three largest wildfires in Colorado history all occurred in 2020.