PUEBLO — Every parking spot at the center was filled Tuesday at a disaster assistance center in Pueblo, a sign of the ongoing need for resources in the community as the Aspen Acres Fire continues to burn.
The fire has burned nearly 94,000 acres and is 15% contained as of Tuesday. The center has been open since last Wednesday, working to support those displaced by the blaze.
Already, it's the fifth-most destructive fire in Colorado's history, with more than 260 homes destroyed.
Cheri Alfonso, an evacuee, was there loading her car with cat food — supplies for a "colony of cats" she had to leave behind when the fire forced her from her home eight days ago.
"I got cat food. I got the last bag of cat food here," Alfonso said. "The resources have been great."
For Alfonso, the fire has brought back painful memories. She has been through this before, losing everything in the Barnett Fire near Pueblo in 2018.
"It's just been a living nightmare. It's been heartbreaking," Alfonso said. "I lost everything. I lost cars, animals, our home before, so we really had nothing. So now that we're in that situation again, it's very scary."
Pueblo County Commissioner Paula McPheeters was at the center Wednesday helping evacuees obtain re-entry cards, which are required for residents to return to their homes.
"I always say Pueblo is the smallest big town you'll ever meet, and this disaster has proven it to be true," McPheeters said.
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Joshua Johnson, emergency management coordinator for the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, was also on hand. He described the scale of what the county is facing.
"This is the largest disaster that Pueblo County has ever had, to my knowledge, short of maybe the flood of 1921," Johnson said
Johnson said years of preparation helped with response efforts.
"I mean, we work together, we train together, we do active shooter drills, mass casualty incidents, we've actually done mass evacuation drills," Johnson said. "So we practice, we practice, we practice, and we hope we never need it."
McPheeters said the work ahead will extend far beyond the fire itself.
"We need volunteers, not just today, but a month from now, six weeks from now, a year from now. It doesn't end when the fire stops. That's when the real work of recovery is going to begin," McPheeters said.
For Alfonso, the community support has made all the difference.
"The people have been great," Alfonso said.
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