BEULAH, Colo. (KOAA) — Elizabeth Velasco, a former wildland firefighter turned Spanish interpreter, is working to make sure Spanish-speaking residents have access to life-saving information during the Aspen Acres Fire.
Velasco is working under her own agency, Global Language Services, in partnership with the Alaska and Northern Rockies Incident Management Team as a public information officer providing language access during the fire.
"The state of Colorado is very diverse. I think that for the Alaska Team, it was important that they set up a strong foundation to make sure that everyone has access to information," Velasco said.
Daily updates on containment, acreage, and evacuations have been provided since the fire began. Velasco and other interpreters are working to make sure those updates reach the entire community.
"I think that it's very important to have an inclusive emergency response whenever there's a natural disaster," Velasco said.
Velasco previously worked with the Alaska Incident Management Team as a public information officer during a fire in her home of Glenwood Springs in 2020. The team hired her again to help with language access during the Aspen Acres Fire.
As an immigrant herself, Velasco understands the stakes of language accessibility during emergencies.
"I'm an immigrant myself. My mom doesn't speak English, and I think when there's an emergency, there's life and death information," Velasco said.
"Language access really helps us to make sure that no one gets left behind," Velasco said.
In addition to Spanish interpretation, updates have also been shared in ASL on the Aspen Acres Facebook page. Spanish-language video translations and written updates can be found on the Facebook page "Aspen Acres Fire 2026 en Espanol."
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