Colorado
Bishop Castle is still standing as Aspen Acres wildfire continues to burn nearby
RYE, Colo. (KOAA) — Bishop Castle faces an uncertain, but hopeful, future as the Aspen Acres wildfire burns nearby and its caretaker recovers in the hospital following a fall.
Daniel Bishop, who cares for Bishop Castle — the landmark his father built brick by brick — was admitted to the hospital more than a week ago after a fall. Soon after, evacuation orders came, putting the beloved structure in the Aspen Acres wildfire red zone.
“The whole backdrop of my life just changing from one drastic nightmare to the next,” Daniel said.
His wife, Sage Bishop, described the toll the back-to-back crises have taken on the family.
“We’re used to being in the mountains and working with our hands and doing things and our lives have been turned upside down,” Sage said.
And while recovering, Bishop says he didn’t know what would come of the iconic Colorado landmark.
“By the time the whole scene was printed, it was a nightmare,” Daniel said.
Many people online have been asking whether Bishop Castle survived the fire. The Bishop Castle Facebook page posted that, according to the incident management team, Bishop Castle is still standing.
For Daniel, that news brings only partial relief.
“I generally don’t celebrate until I really know it’s time to celebrate. Until I lay my eyes on the property and know exactly what’s happened,” Daniel said.
He also said fires can be unpredictable, so getting excited about the condition of the castle feels too soon.
“The truth is the fire is still burning, and fires are very predictable, and it could turn around and come back from the other direction,” said Daniel.
But he did say there is some reassuring news on the ground.
“There are actual fire crews there doing their job to protect the castle, there are actually people in there. Boots on the ground and helping out,” Daniel said.
He said he still worries for the many people whose homes are nearby. People who continue to support the family.
“God bless the first responders for every piece of structure, everybody’s property that they managed to save, because we are the fortunate ones in all of this right now. There are so many that have lost everything they had,” Daniel said.
Even with the uncertainty, the family is definitely certain about one thing… Sage said the outpouring of concern from the public has meant a great deal to the family.
“The support from people that care about us is amazing,” Sage said.
The family says Daniel is progressing very well and appreciates the support and kind words from the community. He said he couldn’t get through this without those at Encompass Health Rehabilitation.
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47,000 Acres, 0% Containment, and New Evacuations
The Aspen Acres Fire continues to rage out of control, growing to over 47,000 acres with zero containment. New mandatory evacuations have been issued for the Red Creek area as the fire threatens thousands of structures across multiple counties.
47,000 Acres, 0% Containment, and New Evacuations
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