Aspen News
State investigators found charring and burn marks on an aspen tree where it had made contact with electrical conductors after wind uprooted the tree, according to a report released by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. (Screenshot from DFPC report) " data-large...
Even before the snow stopped falling this past winter, fire leaders across the region were ringing alarm bells about what it meant for the 2026 fire season....
James Van Beek has served as the Eagle County sheriff since 2014 and hopes to bolster the department’s mental health response and trust with immigrant communities. Rebecca Anderson, a Vail police officer, is running against him to bring change to the agency’s workplace structure ...
Two teenagers are dead after a head-on collision on Interstate 70 early Sunday morning, according to Colorado State Patrol. The Garfield County Coroner released the names of the deceased Monday afternoon....
Rain falls along North Creek Road in Beulah Wednesday. Thunderstorms that might have been normally mitigated by healthy forest inundated creeks in the area resulting in flash flooding due to the impact of the Aspen Acres fire. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) " data-im...
A new report identifies gaps in food assistance across Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle counties. The analysis suggests expanding mobile food banks, emergency food bags and home-delivery services could help address the issue....
A Skycrane lifts off with its 2,650-gallon payload of water in Beulah July 10, 2026. The helicopter is part of a fleet aircraft enlisted to fight the Aspen Acres fire. It’s able to fill its tank via a draft hose in less than a minute. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) "...
Debris and mud deposited by flash floods along Highway 78 near Beulah are shown in this July 29, 2026 photo. Runoff from thunderstorms that might have been normally mitigated by healthy forest inundated creeks in the area due to the impact of the Aspen Acres fire. (Mike Sweeney, ...
Debris and mud deposited by flash floods along Highway 78 near Beulah are shown in this July 29, 2026 photo. Runoff from thunderstorms that might have been normally mitigated by healthy forest inundated creeks in the area due to the impact of the Aspen Acres fire. (Mike Sweeney/S...
The Entrance to Aspen reevaluation — which currently includes public input received to date, project constraints, ongoing environmental review efforts and emerging tradeoffs — is positioned to advance to a refined Preferred Alternative improving corridor performance and emergency...
After a hot start to the wildfire season across Colorado, wildland firefighters and emergency managers in the mountains are hoping that monsoonal rains might give them room to breathe. But Red, White & Blue Wildfire Division Chief Matt Benedict said personnel aren’t letting their...
The Aspen Fire Protection District has launched a series of wildfire risk reduction projects across the Aspen area in collaboration with a broad coalition of public and private partners. For Aspen Fire Department Fire Chief Jake Andersen, there is no time like the present for the...
The Aspen Police Department is working to discontinue its contract with Flock Safety, confirming it will not be utilizing automated license plate reader technology within the city of Aspen. According to Police Chief Kim Ferber, members of the police department are currently discu...
The Fishhook Fire, which spread to 309 acres, has reached 89% containment as of Thursday morning, up significantly from the 58% containment reported Wednesday , according to an update from the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1. “Firefighters have established significant c...
The Aspen Fire Protection District, in partnership with the Aspen Wildfire Foundation, has announced that OroraTech satellite wildfire detection is now fully operational throughout the Aspen Fire Protection District and the extended Lincoln Creek Valley, in areas that have histor...
The U.S. Forest Service has the ability to implement Stage 3 fire restrictions — which ban federal lands to all public entry — but has only done so once in Colorado. Amid a historic drought and extreme wildfire danger, Colorado mountain communities have spent weeks under Stage 2 ...
All pre-evacuations have been lifted after the Hartman Hill Fire burned 26 acres near the Grand and Eagle County line. Fire crews were able to establish 100% containment following Wednesday’s operational period. Fire personnel will remain on scene for the next two days monitoring...
The U.S. Forest Service has the ability to implement Stage 3 fire restrictions — which ban federal lands to all public entry — but has only done so once in Colorado. Amid a historic drought and extreme wildfire danger, Colorado mountain communities have spent weeks under Stage 2 ...
A shelter-in-place order was issued for part of New Castle early Wednesday after a person reportedly fired a gun outside a home near Cathedral Court. The incident occurred shortly after midnight in the Castle Valley neighborhood, according to the New Castle Police Department. A r...
According to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, crews are currently responding to a fire near Blue Hill off Cottonwood Pass at the Eagle County borderline with Garfield County. The size of the fire is unknown; however as of 7:30 p.m. the sheriff’s office gave this update on its F...
Federal firefighting resources are being stretched thin as dozens of major wildfires burn across the U.S., including more than a half dozen in Colorado . The National Interagency Fire Center has upped its preparedness level to 5 — the highest level — indicating that “national res...
The Aspen Wildfire Foundation’s annual fundraising gala, An Evening of Embers & Elegance, has been rescheduled to Friday, Aug. 14, after an unforeseen permitting issue has prevented the event from being held at the Aspen Fire Station on its originally scheduled date. The Foundati...
Robert McDonough — The proposed Woody Creek racetrack expansion is out of scale with our community. The proposed...
Update, 6:29 a.m. Wednesday: Eastbound Interstate 70 has reopened between mile markers 97 and 105, with traffic limited to the left lane, according to the Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority. Westbound I-70 remains closed through the area. Highway 6 was open in bot...
Mountain Rescue Aspen successfully rescued an overdue hiker from Maroon Peak on Thursday night into Friday morning. According to a press release, the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a satellite text message at approximately 7:39 p.m., reporting an overdu...
Firefighters over the weekend were able to contain four wildfires ignited by lightning in the White River National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The four fires — the Boiler Creek Fire in the Rifle Ranger District, the Bear Wallow Fire also in the Rifle Ranger Dist...
Interstate 70 is closed in both directions between Silt and New Castle due to flooding, according to the Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority. The closure stretches from mile marker 97 to mile marker 105. Standing water and mud have also been reported on Highway 6. ...
Update, 11:22 p.m. Monday: Interstate 70 reopened in both directions between Silt and New Castle around 11:22 p.m. Monday after flooding forced a closure, according to the Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority. The interstate had been closed between mile markers 97 a...
On average, it takes five to seven minutes for Eagle County Paramedics to arrive on the scene of an emergency, according to Starting Hearts Director of Business Development, Jackie Christiansen. For cardiac arrest victims, brain damage starts on minute four, she said. That’s why ...
As wildfires burn across the state, Colorado Search and Rescue state coordinator Trevin Montano thinks there are a few things that anyone recreating in the mountains this summer should know. Montano, a volunteer search-and-rescue member who also works as a wildland firefighter, k...
Years of drought, rising temperatures and increasing fuel loads have left Garfield County and the Middle Colorado River watershed among the most vulnerable areas in Colorado to wildfire risk. The Middle Colorado Watershed Council (MCWC), through its Colorado River Wildfire Collab...
Eagle County fire resources responded to a small wildfire Sunday night in Grand County near the Trough Road on the Eagle County-Grand County border. The fire prompted evacuation orders for homes in that area in Grand County, with Kremmling Fire Protection District, Grand County S...
Brooke Stott has been the fire marshall for Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority since April, and she has plans for expanding the fire department’s capabilities in her new role — particularly with wildfire management and public education. Stott was formerly the deputy fire marshall...
Rifle police are investigating an early-morning burglary at Timberline Sporting Goods in which four handguns were stolen Monday. A resident reported hearing breaking glass near East 26th Street and Colorado Highway 13 at about 5:12 a.m., according to a Rifle Police Department new...
With several recent fires burning across Colorado, it has been a sobering summer for all of us. Combined with this year’s drought, the heightened wildfire risk has many residents thinking about emergency preparedness. While most families have thought about what they would do if a...
A home along South Pine Drive burned to its foundation in the Aspen Acres fire is shown in this July 10, 2026 photo. A private aerial imagery company has estimated 780 structures have been lost across Pueblo and Custer counties in the fire, including a number of homes in Beulah a...
Although the Aspen Acres fire is burning around 150 miles away from Summit County, firefighters from Summit Fire & EMS and the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District have been on the scene, working to contain what is now the seventh largest fire in Colorado’s history . The cr...
The Fishhook Fire’s footprint has been adjusted to 340 acres and is 8% contained as of Monday morning, according to an update from the Southwest Area Management Team 1, which took over command of the fire response early Friday. The modified size, down slightly from the 347 acres ...
If placed on ballot, measure would nearly double city property taxes
At a Thursday worksession, Glenwood Springs City Manager Steve Boyd talks to city council members about a potential new property tax to fund fire and emergency medical services....
The Glenwood Springs Fire Department and its EMS services cover about 16,000 residents over 72 square miles.
“Situational awareness” is something we teach all firefighters. In my family of firefighters, we were taught early that the land speaks.
Celebrated live-fire grill master Jack Arnold will showcase his expertise at “BBQ Bash at West End Social,” a casual drop-in event from 2 to 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at 845 Meadows Road. Bold flavors, fresh mountain air and a curated playlist will set the tone. The international barbecue ev...
Willow Fire was 36% contained as of Friday
Rain fell across parts of the state Friday, bringing mixed results for Gold Mountain, Ferris, Willow, Fishhook and Elk fires.
Wildfires continued to ignite and burn across Colorado this week as widespread drought continues to plague the state. The Colorado Wildland Fire Status Dashboard showed seven large fires and a total of 28 active fires that had burned around 214,000 acres as of Friday afternoon...
With the Willow Fire currently holding steady at roughly 6,800 acres and 40% containment, the Leadville Race Series announced on Wednesday plans to move forward with its final four events of the summer, including the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and Run. “The smoke is lifting and t...
The state's largest currently burning wildfire remains active near the communities of Rye and San Isabel. Plus: Updates on Gold Mountain, Ferris, Willow, Fishhook and Elk fires....
I’ll be heading up to the Flat Tops once again this year on Aug. 12. It’s a date that is forever etched in my mind. I have driven up there on that date each of the past three summers just to go for a run, stop by my brother’s land to get some firewood and reminisce about days gon...
Response teams for the Willow, Aspen Acres and Ferris fires say they’re not running into issues finding water to fight fires. Here’s how they do it.
