Reporting by Zach Hillstrom, Pueblo Chieftain
The Aspen Acres Fire had scorched more than 97,500 acres and 337 homes in Pueblo and Custer counties as of July 11, making it one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in Colorado history.
The fire that began June 29 near the Aspen Acres campground in Custer County and then saw explosive growth in the following days joins a notorious top-10 list of Colorado’s biggest wildfires, nearly all of which have taken place in the past 15 years.
These are the largest and most destructive wildfires in Colorado history, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
What are the biggest fires in Colorado history?
- Cameron Peak (2020): The Cameron Peak fire began in August 2020 and burned 208,913 acres of national forest lands and Rocky Mountain National Park over nearly four months. The fire destroyed 184 homes.
- East Troublesome (2020): The East Troublesome Fire was sparked east of Kremmling in October 2020. A total of 193,812 acres burned during the fire, along with 366 homes and 189 additional structures.
- Pine Gulch (2020): The third devastating wildfire that rocked the Centennial State in 2020 was the Pine Gulch Fire, which sparked north of Grand Junction in July 2020. The fire burned 139,007 acres but no homes.
- Hayman (2002): The largest wildfire in Colorado history at the time it occurred, the Hayman Fire devastated the foothills between South Park and Colorado Springs, burning 137,760 acres and more than 600 structures, including 133 homes.
- Lee (2025): Last year’s Lee Fire near Meeker came within 2 acres of supplanting the Hayman Fire in the No. 4 position after burning 137,758 acres. It also consumed several homes and government structures.
- Spring Creek (2018): The Spring Creek Fire, which burned near Garland and La Veta in 2018, burned 108,045 acres and destroyed 141 structures.
- Aspen Acres (2026, ongoing): The Aspen Acres Fire in Pueblo and Custer counties had burned 97,505 acres as of July 11 and destroyed at least 276 homes and four businesses.
- High Park (2012): The High Park Fire began west of Fort Collins in June 2012. The fire destroyed more than 250 houses and killed one person.
- Missionary Ridge (2002): The Missionary Ridge Fire began northeast of Durango in June 2002 and destroyed 46 houses and cabins before full containment. One firefighter died while fighting the blaze.
- West Fork (2013): The West Fork Fire was one of three fires that comprised the West Fork Complex Fire near Wolf Creek Pass in southern Colorado. The West Fork, Windy Pass, and Papoose Fires burned a combined 109,049 acres, with the West Fork Fire burning 58,570 acres but few structures.
What are the most destructive fires in Colorado history?
- Marshall Fire (2021): The Marshall Fire began as a grass fire in Boulder County and erupted into the most costly wildfire in Colorado history, with 1,084 homes and seven commercial properties destroyed. Two people were killed in the fire, and more than 37,000 were evacuated.
- Black Forest (2013): The Black Forest Fire in Black Forest, El Paso County, destroyed 489 homes and killed two people. The fire burned more than 14,000 acres.
- East Troublesome (2020): The second-largest wildfire in state history is also its third most destructive. The East Troublesome Fire destroyed 366 homes and killed two people.
- Waldo Canyon (2012): Also in El Paso County, the Waldo Canyon Fire destroyed 346 homes and killed two people. The fire burned a total of 18,247 acres over 18 days.
- Aspen Acres (2026, ongoing): As of July 10, the Aspen Acres Fire had destroyed at least 337 homes and four commercial businesses in two counties. More than 850 structures have been lost in the fire.
Nearly all of Colorado’s biggest, most destructive wildfires are recent
According to the Colorado Division of Fire Control and Prevention, all 20 of Colorado’s largest historical wildfires have taken place in the past 24 years.
Eighteen of the largest wildfires have occurred in the past 14 years, since 2012; 12 of the top 20 have occurred in the past eight years, since 2018; and seven of the top 20 have occurred in the past six years alone, since 2020.
Of the top five largest fires in state history, four have occurred since 2020.
All five of Colorado’s most destructive wildfires have taken place in the past 14 years.
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@usatodayco.com or on X at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain.
