Our beloved communities in southern Colorado have been devastated by the Aspen Acres Fire. When I am writing this column, the fire has burned over 99,000 acres and is 36% contained. High winds and dry conditions have made it spread far and fast.
We have all seen the destruction and impact the fire is having on our friends and families. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted.
We go to the incident command post every morning at 6:00 for the operations briefing, updates, and to meet with the fire commanders and local law enforcement to discuss which areas we can safely energize and what needs to be prioritized for emergency personnel. We appreciate your understanding about the power outages that may have impacted your home or business.
SIEA employees live in these same communities and have been personally impacted too. Some of our employees have been among the people who are evacuated and one has lost their home in the fire.
Since the fire broke out at the end of June, it has been all-hands-on-deck for San Isabel Electric. Our line clearance tree crews and contractors are working to clear debris left by the fire. SIEA engineers are visiting burn areas to plan for rebuilding the damaged system. Lineworkers and contractors are setting new poles and repairing damaged equipment. And back at our offices, our support team is coordinating job sites, pulling materials, testing meters, and handling your phone calls and questions.
I know I speak for everyone at San Isabel Electric when I say “thank you” to the firefighters and incident command. We are beyond grateful for the nearly 2,000 people who have responded to fighting this fire. We appreciate the incredible, much-needed, out-of-town help and our local first responders and emergency managers whose local knowledge is vital to the success of the operation. We are also thankful for those members who have been patient and supportive during this heartbreaking time.
SIEA started in Beulah in 1938. Since then, our communities have been through some really hard times, but we always come back. No matter the circumstance, we’ve gone through it helping each other and supporting one another.
In this time of tragedy and destruction, we’re humbled by so many acts of kindness and generosity the community is showing in support of one another.
It’s a difficult time for all of us right now, but our southern Colorado communities are strong and resilient. We will rebuild and be stronger than ever.
Take good care, and look out for your neighbors, the way our strong rural communities have done for generations.
Ryan Elarton is the General Manager at San Isabel Electric Association.
