CO: CSU-PUEBLO BECOMES "FIREFIGHTER CITY"
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PUEBLO, Colorado (KRDO) — The CSU-Pueblo campus has transformed into a temporary base camp, dubbed “Firefighter City,” providing essential facilities for crews battling a large and challenging fire. Firefighters are making progress on containing the blaze, aided by recent rain and national reinforcements.
This makeshift community serves as a critical operational hub, offering weary firefighters a place to eat and sleep, sometimes for as little as five hours, before returning to the fire lines.
These fire camps typically emerge wherever massive wildfires necessitate extensive ground operations, becoming a vital support system for the crews.
Jason Forthofer, with the National Forest Service in Montana, described the demanding schedule of battling the blaze. “I’m working night shift, so that’s always a little rough as a firefighter. To transition, try to sleep during the days,” Forthofer said. He added that the campus provides good sleeping arrangements, “I’m in a dorm with three other firefighters that I’m working with.”
Other firefighters have alternative accommodations. Crew Boss Esteban Tapia, from Washington, expressed his comfort with the outdoor setup. “Oh, we’re in a tent. It’s great man! I love the outdoors,” Tapia said. He emphasized the strong bonds formed within the crews, stating, “Out here, we consider each other family, so we’re a big family. Just camping in a big area.”
Al Nash, from the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team, highlighted the unique sense of community that develops in these temporary camps. “There’s a camaraderie that exists in a fire camp,” Nash said. He compared the setup to building a small city, providing essential services such as catering and showers, a sentiment often understood by firefighting veterans.
The fire itself has presented significant challenges to the crews on the ground. Tapia noted the erratic behavior of the blaze, saying, “You would get days where it just wouldn’t do anything. Then you would get a day where you would just get a 30-mile-per-hour wind. It would just push that fire. It would move fast.”
Forthofer described the fire’s growth as unpredictable. “This one seems to be kind of an amoeba, just growing around everywhere out there,” Forthofer said.
Despite the difficulties, firefighters are reporting advancements in containment efforts. Forthofer confirmed that the combination of recent rain and the arrival of national reinforcements is contributing to their progress.
“We weren’t quite sure if we were going to be able to stop fire from getting into some of the communities,” Forthofer said. “But, at least in some of the areas that I’ve been working in, out there, we are starting to get a hold on pieces of it.”
There are over 1,700 firefighters helping battle the Aspen Acres Fire, representing 29 states.
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