PUEBLO -- Silver Valley Fire Rescue has deployed a five-member team to assist with structure protection efforts on the massive Aspen Acres Fire burning in southern Colorado near Pueblo. 

According to Silver Valley Fire Rescue Chief Scott Dietrich, the Idaho Panhandle National Forest Coeur d'Alene Interagency Dispatch Center contacted the district on July 3 requesting a Type 1 Structure Engine and Command Support Vehicle for a 14-day deployment. 

"At that time we were notified that the fire was an immediate threat to three separate towns in Colorado," Dietrich said. 

The wildfire, which started June 29, has grown to more than 93,000 acres in Pueblo and Custer counties and was reported at 15% containment earlier this week. More than 1,500 firefighters and support personnel from multiple agencies are assigned to the incident, which has become one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history. Officials have confirmed the fire was human-caused, although the exact cause remains under investigation. 

SVFR assembled a four-person engine crew and command staff and departed for Colorado at 7 a.m. on July 4. The team arrived at the staging area around noon the next day. 

Assigned personnel include Captain Brandon Walcker, Captain Tyler Rotchford, Firefighter Josh Lindsey, Firefighter Nick McCleary, and Deputy Chief John Miller.  

The Aspen Acres Fire has forced widespread evacuations across southern Colorado and destroyed hundreds of structures while threatening communities including Rye, Beulah and Colorado City.  

Deputy Chief Miller said the SVFR crew has been given the responsibility of protecting homes in the communities near the fire. 

"We are assigned to 'structure protection' so basically going into neighborhoods with houses on or near the fire," he said. "Either suppress the fire as it gets close or prep the house of the fire isn't there yet by removing vegetation, combustible material, setting up sprinkler systems around homes and more."

Dietrich noted that all costs associated with the deployment will be reimbursed to the fire district. Reimbursements will cover the use of the fire engine, firefighter wages and any overtime expenses incurred while backfilling shifts during the deployment. 

The deployment highlights the mutual-aid partnerships that allow fire agencies from across the country to support communities facing large-scale wildfires, while ensuring local emergency coverage remains in place at home.