California Dispatches Fire Crews to Help Colorado Contain Massive Blaze

The fire was reported on June 29 near a campground and prompted Colorado Governor Jared Polis to declare a state of emergency. After an unusually dry winter, the state is facing “extreme fire behavior,” according to Newsom’s press release.

Brent Pascua, a Cal Fire battalion chief from Sacramento, said conditions on the ground in Colorado are hot and dry, with little precipitation, and winds that “will blow the fire in any direction.”

“The forecast for the near future is potentially for these dry lightning storms to continue over the next few days,” Pascua said. “So, it’s really imperative that we stay there, we help out in any way we can, and we’re there until the job’s done.”

The Aspen Acres fire is just one firestorm currently burning in Colorado, scorching hundreds of thousands of acres and prompting mandatory mass evacuations.

On June 27, three firefighters were killed battling the Snyder Fire along the Colorado-Utah border on June 27, according to the Department of the Interior.

“Hotter, drier climates across the West are a daily reminder that there is no such thing as a ‘fire season’ anymore. At the same time, Trump has cut the workforce of the very agencies meant to spearhead wildfire preparedness, respond to emergencies effectively, and keep communities safe,” Martinez said. “Federal firefighters are doing what they can with what they have left.”

This is the first time that California deployed crews to Colorado under the National Association of State Foresters state-to-state partnership that started in the 1920s, according to the governor’s office.

Colorado has shown up for California in the past, including the 2024 Park Fire in Northern California and the 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires in Southern California. Now, California is returning the favor.

“It feels great to get out there and help our neighbors,” Pascua said. “Whenever communities need help, it’s nice to know that we can cross those borders, cross those state lines and go help our partners, our neighboring agencies fight the fire.”

The July fires could be a sign of what’s to come over the next few months after Western states saw record low snowpacks, according to Inside Climate News.

In California, the intense El Niño weather pattern could either bring thunderstorms with dry lightning, which can lead to fires, or it could bring summer and autumn showers that could end the fire season early. Experts have attributed the severity of both of these patterns to climate change.

In May, Newsom announced $30 million for regional wildfire prevention to boost resilience across the state.

Over the past five years, Cal Fire expanded its workforce, adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually and growing its aerial firefighting fleet.

“I feel we’re very well prepared, better prepared than we have been in the past,” Pascua said, though he added that the Colorado fires are a reminder to residents to have emergency plans figured out as warmer temperatures come to California this week.

KQED’s Desmond Meagley contributed to this report.