Denver, CO
Colorado wildfires destroy more than 100 structures, force more evacuations
Fire crews gained some containment on one of five wildfires burning across Colorado on Tuesday, while others forced more people to evacuate their homes. The fires charred roughly 148 square miles and destroyed at least 100 buildings.
The Snyder, Gold Mountain, Ferris, Willow and Aspen Acres fires have consumed 94,189 acres as of Tuesday evening.
While fire officials said crews made good progress, firefighters are also facing terrain that’s often extremely steep or inaccessible as well as high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds.
Aspen Acres fire in Custer and Pueblo counties
Driven by 100 mph winds, the Aspen Acres fire has consumed 28,362 acres — roughly 44 square miles — since it sparked Monday, destroyed at least 100 structures and forced evacuations, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.
Damage assessment teams are still working on getting to the structures destroyed by the wildfire and will contact property owners directly whenever possible, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said during an update Tuesday afternoon.
Fire activity picked up Tuesday night, leading Pueblo County officials to issue new evacuation orders for people living in the North Creek area, including Central Road to the Custer County Line.
“DO NOT WAIT. PLEASE EVACUATE NOW,” the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X.
Mandatory evacuations in the Beulah, Rye, San Isabel Lake, Aspen Acres, Lazy Acres and Bishops Castle areas and surrounding roads are still in place.
Snyder fire in Mesa County and Utah
Colorado’s largest wildfire saw a small amount of growth overnight Monday and into Tuesday as firefighters worked on building lines along eastern and southern edges to prevent more spread.
The Snyder fire, which killed three firefighters and injured two others Saturday, scorched 30,209 acres, or 47 square miles, with 10% containment as of Tuesday evening.
The wildfire’s footprint grew about 200 acres between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, mostly by smoldering and creeping along the eastern edge, Operations Section Chief Nick Ostrom said in an update posted on social media.
Lighter winds have helped firefighters in the past few days, Ostrom said, but National Weather Service forecasters on Tuesday issued a red flag warning for critical fire weather conditions that are expected until at least Thursday.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on Tuesday closed the boat ramp to the Colorado River in the James M Robb State Park for firefighter safety.
Gold Mountain fire near Ouray
A complex incident management team took over the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray on Monday night as the wildfire continued to burn across “very steep, inaccessible country.”
Fire officials mapped the wildfire at 12,376 acres, or almost 20 square miles, as of Tuesday night, up from 7,103 acres on Monday.
Ouray County officials ordered more mandatory evacuations on Tuesday afternoon, including Lower Cow Creek east of county roads 12 and 12A to the Owl Creek U.S. Forest Service Boundary. Previous mandatory evacuation orders for other areas of Ouray County are still in place, sheriff’s officials said, and part of U.S. 550 is closed.
Ferris fire in San Juan National Forest, near Dolores
The lightning-sparked Ferris fire continued burning on 21,495 acres, or 33 square miles, with no containment northwest of Dolores, but firefighters managed to stop it from spreading into a nearby subdivision despite strong winds and low humidity.
Mandatory evacuations are still in place for people living north and east of the wildfires, including the Glade Ranch subdivision, according to the Dolores County Office of Emergency Management.
Firefighters are focused on protecting homes and the historic Benchmark Lookout, operations section chief Pat Seekins said in an update.
Federal and state wildlife officials have closed public access to lands near the fire for safety, including the Bradfield Bridge Campground, Lone Dome State Wildlife Area and surrounding roads.
Willow fire near Leadville
People living near Turquoise Lake west of Leadville remained under mandatory evacuation on Tuesday as crews continued fighting the Willow fire.
The wildfire is burning on 2,011, or 3 square miles, with no containment in the San Isabel National Forest near the Leadville National Fish Hatchery.
Firefighters are focused on building lines to stop the fire from moving west, toward homes near the Halfmoon Diversion Dam, and east toward Leadville, Operations Chief William Dudley said Tuesday night.
Campgrounds around Turquoise Lake, the Colorado Trail and Hagerman Pass into Pitkin County are also under evacuation orders, Lake County officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Denver, CO
Denver business owner frustrated at police response time after break-in
One Denver business owner is voicing frustration after officers took more than an hour to respond while thieves made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise during a recent burglary.
In the early morning of August 6th, 2026, Austin Martinson was woken up by the alarm company for his marijuana store, Karmaceuticals. The store was being burglarized.
He says through his investigation and conversations with Denver police, he learned the thieves had set up cameras outside the store and had been monitoring it for a while. On the night of the burglary, the thieves first tried to get through the back door. Finding it locked with state-of-the-art locks, Martinson says they moved on to plan B.
“They tried to open the front door and couldn’t. We believe that they went on the roof and tried to get in through the roof or the AC, the HVAC units, which we’ve also had attempts there. So those are reinforced. So eventually they went through our neighbor, and I guess busted through the front window there and then busted through their wall,” said Martinson.
He says thieves spent thirty to forty-five minutes in the store while alarms blared, taking plants.
“We estimate we lost roughly like $60,000,” says Martinson.
He says he felt helpless watching the event unfold on security cameras, especially since DPD officers didn’t show up until an hour and fifteen minutes after they got the call.
“I think it’s ridiculous. I mean, an act of robbery. If they could have been there within 15 minutes, they would have found all these guys,” said Martinson.
In a statement, a spokesperson for DPD said:
“I can confirm we received a call of a burglary alarm at that business on Inca St. This was reported on 8-6-2026 around 1:11 a.m. Initial information from the alarm company mentioned sensors detecting motion. Officers were assigned to the call and responded at 2:32 a.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered the rear door open and cleared the building. No one was inside. A report was completed, and the building was left secured. The investigation is ongoing, and there are no arrests at this time. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP(7867).”
They added that, “officers work their best to respond to all calls for service in a timely manner, but other factors can cause delays, such as other incidents that require immediate response.”
Martinson says he’s frustrated because this is the second time he’s been robbed, the first time at gunpoint. He isn’t sure what to do next to keep his business safe.
“Everyone’s sitting here like, ‘Do we just sit and just keep getting robbed and robbed and robbed?’” said Martinson.
He says the worst part is that his growers are paid partly on commission from the sale of their plants. Since the marijuana business has been down lately, he says he doesn’t have the cash to pay them.
“What we’ve been dealing with the last few days is trying to figure out how to make sure their families have food on the table,” said Martinson.
He says he will also have to invest in even more security now, and he hopes that the industry will soon be able to access the same affordable banking and insurance protections other businesses have, so they will stop being targets for thieves.
“It’s super frustrating. It’s still the same problems I’ve been screaming about since I opened in 2009,” said Martinson.
Denver, CO
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