PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. — While some homes in the community of Beulah are left standing, others were destroyed by the Aspen Acres Fire, which has burned through 100,000 acres in Custer and Pueblo counties and destroyed at least more than 850 structures, according to officials.
The fire has been burning for nearly two weeks after encircling Beulah. While some evacuations remain in place, including Beulah, others have started to lift.
- Denver7 has tracked every update on this fire: Aspen Acres Fire: Biggest fire in state grows to nearly 100K acres
Throughout the community, some neighborhoods are now nearly unrecognizable.
"It was a monster. And the monster ate anything in its path," said Jill Laca, public information officer for the Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance Service.
Denver7's Veronica Acosta was invited to learn more about the damage on Friday morning and drive around the community with Alaska Complex Incident Management Team #1, which is currently managing the fire.
▶️ WATCH: Here's a look at what Denver7 saw on Friday. We have our full story airing at 6 p.m. Friday.
Laca told Denver7 that she not only lives in this community — she has called it home for more than a decade.
"It's just gut-wrenching to see the core of our community completely changed," she said.
That includes the loss of the historic Horseshoe Lodge in Pueblo Mountain Park, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero confirmed in late June.
"While the devastation is significant, our commitment to our mission is unwavering," the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center wrote about the loss on Facebook. "We are already working with partners to understand the path forward for restoration, safety, and long‑term stewardship of the land. Pueblo Mountain Park has been a cornerstone of outdoor education and community connection for generations, and we will do everything in our power to preserve it.
▶️ WATCH: The video below shows the Horseshoe Lodge, as seen on the morning of July 10, 2026.
In some areas, the Aspen Acres Fire has turned Beulah from a mountain town into a moonscape.
"It's heart-wrenching," Laca said. "It's a gut punch every time you go through."
For those who were first to respond — on the front lines of their own front yards — it's even more personal.
"It's hard in your own backyard because it wasn't about protecting such and such address," said Capt. Tom Laca with the Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District. "It wasn't a number, it wasn't a road name — it was a person whose house we were looking to protect."
Laca, Jill Laca's husband, is the fire captain for the Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District. This firefight is so personal for him and his 27-person volunteer team because a third of them also lost their homes.
"We've all cried together," Laca said. "They continued the fight, and they still are continuing in this fight, even though they have nothing."
The fire isn't close to being put out. Earlier this week, officials with the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team said it could be weeks before the fire is fully extinguished. That is not atypical for large blazes, as underground roots, duff and logs can smolder long after large flames are extinguished.
Teams from all across the country — nearly 2,000 personnel — are setting up at sites near and in Beulah helping to coordinate water drops.
▶️ WATCH: The video below shows water drop operations as seen on the morning of July 10, 2026.
"The water and the state of drought or lack of water here in the summertime, it's hard, right? So, we do use available bodies of water," explained Trevor Johnson, battalion chief with the Ventura County Fire Department.
Johnson is one of the many crews brought into Pueblo County from all across the country to help battle the blaze. He said their responsibility exceeds just trying to suppress the fire.
"After a fire burns through like this, it burns through really fast, but you can still have smoldering fire around those houses," he said. "If we're not constantly rechecking around houses, you can still burn down structures. Our focus is to make sure that everything is mitigated within the city of Beulah and the Beulah Valley."
Johnson commended firefighters like Laca, who gave their all to try to save as much of their community as possible.
"The 27 firefighters that took this on, they rallied to the cause, right? They're part of this community and they wanted to save their community," he said. "These firefighters heroically went in there."
And despite having nothing left to go back to, Capt. Laca told Denver7 that those crews are still out battling the fire, helping their neighbors in any way they can.
"Our crew, man, we threw everything at this that we had," he said.
