DENVER, CO — Victims of the Aspen Acres Fire and subsequent flooding will not receive individual assistance for disaster recovery from the Federal Government.
That's according to the Colorado State Government, which said in a news release Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied portions of the Disaster Declaration Request made by Governor Jared Polis in August of 2026.
The disaster declaration request encompassed both the Aspen Acres Fire and the Gold Mountain Fire, which began near Ouray in June of 2026.
In a news release Friday, the Governor's Office stated that FEMA denied the individual assistance and the hazard mitigation requests.
Those requests would provide essential services to people impacted in Pueblo and Custer Counties to help with expenses such as temporary housing, home repairs, and disaster unemployment assistance, to name a few.
The Scripps News Group reached out to FEMA asking for more information about why these requests were denied, and will update this coverage once more information is shared.
“The recent approval of Colorado’s Major Disaster Declaration request was the important first step to clear debris and allow communities to begin the process to recover. I am disappointed that Colorado was denied these additional portions of our request that would have further supported impacted families and communities. However, the state is already hard at work coordinating debris cleanup with local governments. The state is evaluating Colorado’s options and next steps following the denial of these additional resources,” said Governor Jared Polis in the release.
Despite the denial, the state says they are assessing the next steps in the process and has 30 days to appeal the denial decision if it is deemed the appropriate action.
The Aspen Acres Fire has destroyed 324 homes across Pueblo and Custer Counties and has become the most destructive fire since the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado. As of September 18, the fire has burned 102,004 acres and is 82% contained.
Check Out the Previous Coverage Below
Aspen Acres Fire
During the peak of the burn, over 11,00 residents were evacuated across Pueblo, Custer, and Fremont Counties.
Fire was not the only threat for the burned areas across the state, as a change in our weather and the seasonal pattern brought flooding concerns to the burn scars of both the Gold Mountain Fire in July and Aspen Acres Fire in August.
The state reported multiple closures this year on U.S. Highway 550 between Ouray, Ridgway, and Silverton due to debris flows from the fire. In Beulah, that flooding turned deadly.
Watch Coverage from the time of the Flooding Below
Henry Humphreys, 80, was identified as a man who was swept away in a flash flood in the area and killed.
The Scripps News Group will continue to follow the progress of the disaster declaration grant requests.
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