Rich Smith said Friday afternoon that the Aspen Acres fire was about 200 yards from Bishop Castle, while crews worked to protect the landmark and nearby homes and property. The Custer County Sheriff’s Office had already warned that the fire was very unpredictable and had driven about 11,000 people from Pueblo and Custer Counties.
Smith said, "the fire was about 200 yards from Bishop Castle" and that "crews were actively working to protect not only the castle but homes and property." The fire had grown to 74,265 acres by Friday afternoon, after it was reported at more than 60,000 acres earlier in the day and had added more than 11,000 acres overnight Thursday into Friday morning.
Rich Smith on Bishop Castle
Jake Livingston, incident commander with Alaska Team 1, said, "low humidity and high winds contributed to the explosive fire activity overnight." The fire exhibited extreme fire behavior overnight Thursday and into Friday morning, and those conditions pushed new mandatory evacuations early Friday.
In Beulah Valley, damage assessments were about 60% complete. Rich Smith also said, "Just because a home is within the fire perimeter on the map, does not guarantee that it was damaged," a reminder that the map showed spread, not a final loss tally.
Custer County Sheriff’s Office
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office said power would be cut from Makenzie Junction East through Wetmore as soon as possible, and it issued a pre-evacuation notice for Highway 67 south of Florence to the Custer County line, including Rockvale, Coal Creek, Newlin Ridge and Locke Mountain subdivisions. First responders also urged evacuees to use the Disaster Assistance Center at Pueblo City School District 60 at 29 Lehigh Avenue.
Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1 planned a virtual, live update on the fire for Friday at 6:30 p.m. For people near Bishop Castle, the practical reading of Friday’s update is plain: crews were still trying to hold the fire back from homes and landmarks while the evacuation footprint kept widening.
