A wind-driven outbreak of Colorado wildfires has left three federal firefighters dead, destroyed roughly 155 homes and structures, and forced thousands of residents to flee, with nine major fires burning statewide as of June 30, 2026.
On the night of June 27, several lightning-caused fires on the Colorado-Utah border — the Snyder Mesa, Jones, Knowles, and Gore fires — merged into the Snyder Fire under extreme wind conditions, growing past 30,000 acres at 0% containment. A burnover killed three federal wildland firefighters, Sydney Watson, Nick Hutcherson, and Emily Barker, and injured two others. Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and activated the Colorado National Guard.
At the same time, the Aspen Acres Fire tore across Custer and Pueblo counties in southern Colorado, burning more than 28,000 acres at 0% containment. About 55 homes in Custer County and over 100 structures in Pueblo County were destroyed, and the towns of Beulah, Rye, and San Isabel — home to roughly 4,000 people combined — were placed under mandatory evacuation, with sustained winds near 100 mph grounding aerial firefighting support.
The American Red Cross of Southern Colorado opened emergency shelters at Pathfinder Park in Florence, the Colorado State Fairgrounds, and the Pueblo County recreation center. The Salvation Army deployed mobile feeding units offering meals, first aid, and mental health support to evacuees and firefighters, while FEMA support has been complicated by delays in roughly $50 million in federal wildfire preparedness funding to the state.
To support evacuees and the firefighters battling these blazes, donate via the Colorado Wildfires disaster page or visit our Relief Directory to find more ways to help.
