Broken Tire fire starts southwest of Trinidad amid regional wildfire activity

The Broken Tire fire was reported at about 2 acres around 3 p.m. July 8, about 20 miles southwest of Trinidad, putting Las Animas County back into Colorado’s active-fire picture as new starts also appeared in Elbert and Huerfano counties. Even at that size, the fire drew attention because the county has already spent much of the season watching nearby blazes grow fast.

The National Interagency Fire Center listed the Broken Tire fire at roughly 2 acres when it was first spotted. No damage, injuries or containment level were included in the initial report, which points to an early-stage fire still being sized up by crews.

That early stage matters in Las Animas County, where open country, ranchland and long response distances can turn a small ignition into a larger problem if winds pick up or crews lose the first attack. A fire southwest of Trinidad can also add to dispatch and mutual-aid demands even before it becomes large enough to close roads or force evacuations.

The Broken Tire start came against a much broader wildfire backdrop across Colorado. By July 6, state wildfires had burned more than 170,000 acres, with the Aspen Acres fire reaching 91,523 acres and ranking as the seventh-largest wildfire in Colorado history. That scale of activity means even a small fire in southern Colorado competes for attention, crews and favorable weather conditions.

Las Animas County has already had two major fire episodes this spring and early summer. In April, the Schwachheim fire near the Colorado-New Mexico border grew to 1,003 acres and prompted a disaster declaration from Gov. Jared Polis before crews later reported 36% containment. In June, a 125-acre fire a few hundred feet north of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site forced rural evacuations and brought in nearly a dozen agencies, including the Trinidad Fire Department, La Junta Fire Department, Rocky Ford Fire Department and Hoehne Fire Protection District.

That June response also sent evacuated residents and large animals to a shelter at the county fairgrounds, showing how quickly a fire in this part of the county can move from a smoke report to a full community operation. With another start now southwest of Trinidad, local fire managers and residents are again watching how fast a small blaze can become a countywide concern.