California Sends 15 Engines and 53 Firefighters to Fight Colorado’s Aspen Acres Fire

This first CAL FIRE deployment to Colorado under the NASF partnership will provide up to 14 days of ground crews to bolster operations during an extreme, wind-driven blaze.

Overview

California announced on July 4 that 15 CAL FIRE engines, one agency representative, one mechanic and 53 personnel have been dispatched to support the Aspen Acres Fire in Custer and Pueblo counties.
The Aspen Acres Fire began on June 29 and had burned more than 85,000 acres with 0% containment as of July 4, producing multi‑mile runs that overwhelmed local resources.
A Sonoma‑Lake‑Napa strike team of five engines is part of the deployment and crews are expected to remain in Colorado for up to 14 days while California keeps reserve engines and full staffing at home.
Extreme conditions, including drought, single‑digit humidity and gusts reported up to 100 mph, have limited water‑dropping aircraft and forced mandatory evacuations for thousands of residents.
Colorado has declared the fire a national priority and requested wide assistance; the CAL FIRE move builds on a history of interstate mutual aid and could speed similar state‑to‑state support as western fires intensify.