Las Animas County crews strained as nearby wildfires spread

Las Animas County firefighters were already being sent out of county on June 29 and June 30, helping with the Aspen Acres Fire west of Pueblo even as the region braced for another blow from the Big Sheep Fire in Huerfano County. With strong winds, high heat and dry vegetation driving both blazes, the immediate concern for Trinidad and the county’s outlying communities was simple: every crew committed elsewhere was one fewer available if a new fire sparked at home.

The Aspen Acres Fire showed how fast that risk can escalate. Colorado Public Radio said the fire blew up from an initial estimate of 362 acres Monday morning to nearly 23,000 acres, then to about 28,000 acres by June 30. Officials said about 155 structures had burned, and evacuations were ordered for Rye, Beulah and San Isabel. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said many structures had been lost as of 3 p.m. Tuesday and that damage assessment was underway.

That kind of growth forced departments from Las Animas, Otero and Bent counties into mutual-aid duty at the same time their own districts still had to stay covered. In a county as large and rural as Las Animas, where volunteer and combined fire protection covers a wide geographic area, the practical effect is slower backup, thinner staffing and a tougher decision on how much equipment can be spared before home territory starts to look exposed.

The pressure did not stop with Pueblo County. Huerfano County officials identified the other major fire as the Big Sheep Fire, which was reported at 1,148 acres and 0% contained in a June 30 update. Later Huerfano County Government updates said operations using local, state and federal resources had reached 50% containment, with pre-evacuation notices still in effect. Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera issued a verbal disaster declaration and authorized Colorado National Guard support, a sign that the response had already moved well beyond what local departments alone could handle.

For Las Animas County residents, the message from the regional fire line was plain. Nearby evacuations, structure loss and state intervention all pointed to the same problem: if a blaze started near Trinidad, crews might have to come from farther away, and they could be arriving after already being stretched by fires in Pueblo and Huerfano counties.