The Aspen Acres Fire has burned more than 100,000 acres, according to fire reporting site Watch Duty, with containment reaching 48% by Friday afternoon.
Colorado spent around $50 million on two Firehawk helicopters — one has been flying since 2024, and the other is in its first full summer of service. But data obtained by Denver7 from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control shows neither has been sent to the largest wildfire currently burning in the state.
Denver7 reporter Adria Iraheta went to get answers as to why the two helicopters haven't been used in the video below:
The data breaks down the Firehawks' total flight time in the first two weeks of this month. One logged 62.5 flight hours — at the Ferris Fire. The other logged just 22.3 hours — splitting time between the Elk and Gold Mountain fires.
Denver7 reached out to DFPC to find out why the Firehawks have not been deployed to the Aspen Acres Fire. We have not heard back.
Last season, one of the Firehawks was grounded for several weeks during peak fire season for scheduled maintenance. DFPC Chief Vaughn Jones addressed those concerns at the time.
"It hit its required 500-hour maintenance that required us to take it out of service. And while we realized it wasn't the best time, we cannot compromise safety or the long-term effectiveness of that aircraft," Jones told Denver7.
At an April 30 press conference, Gov. Jared Polis gave details about where and how the helicopters are stationed.
"One is here in Broomfield. One is in Montrose. That's where they're based. They can also be rebased if needed," Polis said.
MORE | Extensive Denver7 coverage of Colorado wildfire season 2026
Experts say the helicopters are well-suited for Colorado's terrain. Jeanette Eaton, vice president of strategy and business development at United Rotorcraft, explained the aircraft's capabilities.
"This particular make/model of the Black Hawk has better performance at altitude, which means I can carry more payload, which means I can carry more water, which means also I have the capability to go into some of those higher altitude regions where the winds are higher and it's more difficult flying," Eaton said.
Other states, like California, have dozens of Firehawks. Whether Colorado is underutilizing the aircraft is something Denver7 is closely monitoring.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
