Update, Aug. 13, 7:45 p.m.
Per the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office: "Today at noon (08-13-25) the mandatory evacuation order for areas involving the fire was lifted, and residents were able to return to their homes.
The intent has always been to affect re-entry as soon as safely possible to do so.
The fire is currently contained at 78%, and will transition back to a Type 4 incident whereby Pagosa Fire Protection District assumes operational control.
"Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their patience and understanding. We acknowledge that being displaced from your residence is not ideal, however, all response agencies and partners were committed to ensuring that the area was made completely safe for return, at the earliest possible opportunity.
"As a community, we received an overwhelming amount of support from response agencies from far and wide, as well as locally, to fight this fire. We are deeply grateful to everyone involved.
Also, as a community, you showed once again your resilience and generosity. Way to go Archuleta County."
Update, Aug. 13, 11:45 a.m.
The mandatory evacuation order has been lifted, and residents are able to return to their homes. The Archuleta County Sheriff's Office will have a checkpoint at Oak and Ironwood.
Entry will require identification confirming residential address at checkpoints. A checkpoint will be established at Oak and Ironwood, off U.S. 160. If you do not have identification tied to the property, you will be escorted to the property upon which proof of residence will be required. The ACSO will have staging points identified as necessary to ensure traffic safety.
Update, Aug. 12, 7:55 p.m.
According to the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office:
Fire Size: 75 acres
Current Cost: $2M
Resources: 107 personnel and 60 vehicles
Aerial Drops: 31 retardant drops
Containment: 47%
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8-12-25 Crews continued to make progress throughout the day. There are still a significant number of hot spots, root systems burning underground, and sections of fire edge that are smoldering that need to be addressed. There are numerous stump holes still smoldering and there are flare up and reburn risks in the fire area. Firefighters continue assessing the damage to trees that pose a risk of falling on their own due to being fire weakened. Fire personnel are also identifying non-biological hazards that still need to be remediated.
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We are happy to announce that 70 hours after the event started, the mandatory evacuation will be lifted at NOON tomorrow (Wednesday, August 13th). We will be sending a NIXLE alert when the area is open for reentry. To register for NIXLE go to
https://local.nixle.com/register/ENTRY will require identification confirming residential address at checkpoints. A checkpoint will be established at Oak and Ironwood, off Hwy 160. If you do not have identification tied to the property you will be escorted to the property upon which proof of residence will be required. We will have staging points identified as necessary to ensure traffic safety.
All fire personnel will still be actively engaged to work on the remaining uncontained 53% of the fire. PLEASE drive carefully….. assume SCHOOL ZONE rules…. when you drive into the area. Unsafe driving will be monitored closely through Sheriff’s Office resources. We are hoping for a safe and uneventful transition.
Update, Aug. 12, 2 p.m.
Per the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office: "1st Responders continue to work in the impacted areas. Gas supply infrastructure, Electric infrastructure and Haz-Mat are being addressed through-out the day. In addition, teams are continuing to address hot-spots in the area. Yesterday, over 100,000 gallons of water was deployed by resources in the field, this is in addition the the 80,000 gallons of retardant dropped by aerial resources on Sunday. The maps ... provide a 3D view of the impacted area and the area perimeter showing the contained area at 14%. NO ACCESS is available at this time to the evacuated area."
Update, Aug. 11, 7:45 p.m.
Per the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office: "Fire containment lines were held throughout the day today, with over 100 personnel on the ground ensuring that flare ups and hot spots were actively worked. The Oak Fire is now at 14% containment, with this encompassing the perimeter around the North West section.
"There are still many active hot spots in the area and fire crews will continue to work throughout the night and tomorrow morning on the perimeter and interior sections to ensure that all hazards near residences are addressed. The evacuation area is still not safe for citizens to return.
"The Pre-Evacuation notice is being lifted. This impacts the areas east of Elk Park Subdivision to North Pagosa Blvd, and for residents on North Pagosa Blvd to Martinez Canyon."
Update, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m.
According to Archuleta County, the pre-evacuation notice is lifted for residents east of the Elk Park subdivision to North Pagosa Boulevard and up to Martinez Canyon.
Update, Aug. 11, 10:45 a.m.
The Archuleta County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is recommending caution for all residents of Archuleta County. Due to the local fire, air quality will continue to have unhealthy particulate levels with unpredictable pockets of denser concentrations. N95 masks are available for free at the public health department, located at 502 S. 8th St.
The following will help limit the impact of current air quality conditions in our community:
- Reduce or avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
- People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults should significantly limit or avoid outdoor activities.
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Stay indoors as much as possible. Keep windows and doors closed.
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Use air conditioning if available; set it to recirculate to avoid bringing in outdoor air.
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Masking while outdoors is recommended
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Regularly check the air quality index (AQI) for our local area and follow advisories. AQI information can be found on
https://app.watchduty.org/. Click the icon on the right of the app that reads "Layers". Click "weather," and select the air quality button to see general AQI for the area.
If you were under mandatory evacuation as posted by the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) alerts and need critical medications, please call your prescribing physician’s office for support.
Those in pre-evacuation, please prepare by having all of your medications packed and ready to take with you, including rescue inhalers. If you are on oxygen in your home, bringing your oxygen concentrator with you will ensure that you have what you need at the evacuation center or the location you evacuate to.
Update: Aug. 11, 10:20 a.m.
According to the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office: "As the 1st Responders have been working in the impacted fire area clearing hot spots and active fire, they have begun to report damage. At this point one small barn, one pump house, one pergola, one carport and a camper trailer have been identified as having significant fire damage. While crews continue to inspect for damages, as of this time no residential structures have been identified as having fire damage yet. As more details are made available by teams in the field we will provide more updates. We are unable to provide specific address details at this time through any of our channels."
Update: Aug. 11, 9:30 a.m.
According to the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office: "This morning a briefing was held with all Fire resources. The fire did not spread further overnight and teams continue to work on addressing active hot spots and areas burning. The Evacuated areas are still CLOSED. The hotline (970-422-7084) is open for additional information . No FOOD donations at this time, any BOTTLED or CANNED liquids can be donated at 777 County Road 600 (Piedra Rd) to support our teams in the field. The Pagosa Springs High School is still open as the designated Evacuation area, the Humane Society is accepting small animals and the Fairgrounds area for large animals."
Update: Aug. 11, 7:20 a.m.
According to Sheriff Mike Le Roux, the fire was mapped at 75 acres last night, with not a lot of growth overnight.
A type III incident command team is taking over today, with "significantly" more resources available today.
Update: August 10, 2025, 6:38 p.m.
An emergency call center has been setup specifically for information related to the current fire (970) 422-7084.
LPEA activated Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) at 2:25 PM today to protect the community as the Oak Fire near Aspen Springs threatens critical electric infrastructure. Approximately 192 members are currently without power.
What you need to do:
• Charge essential devices and prepare for outages
• Stay alert for evacuation orders
• Report outages at (970) 247-5786 or lpea.coop/outage-center
LPEA is committed to restoring power safely and will provide updates as conditions evolve.
Update: August 10, 2025, 4:32 p.m.
According to the Archuleta County Emergency Operations Center, the Oak Fire, which originated at 1:15 p.m. today, has grown to 52 acres. Multiple structures are involved.
Evacuation orders remain in place for one-mile radius from the fire and now include Elk Park Subdivision. The Division of Wildlife patrol deputies as well as Colorado State Patrol officers are going door to door in the evacuation area.
Pre-evacuation orders are issued from east of Elk Park Subdivision to North Pagosa Boulevard.
Multiple agencies are on scene and en route including Pagosa Fire Protection District, Archuleta County Road and Bridge, U.S. Forest Service, South Fork Fire and San Juan County, New Mexico.
Three very large arial tankers (VLAT) are on providing air support.
Small and large animals may be taken to the Humane Society and the Colorado State Extension site on Hwy. 84.
August 10, 2025, 2:32 p.m.
From Archuleta County Sheriff's Department: ARCHULETA COUNTY, CO: Evacuation ordered for residents within one mile of 38 Spruce Cir. due to fire, evacuate to Pagosa Springs High School.
Watch www.pagosasun.com for updates.
Original
August 10, 2025, 4:32 p.m.
According to the Archuleta County Emergency Operations Center, the Oak Fire, which originated at 1:15 p.m. today, has grown to 52 acres. Multiple structures are involved.
Evacuation orders remain in place for one-mile radius from the fire and now include Elk Park Subdivision. The Division of Wildlife patrol deputies as well as Colorado State Patrol officers are going door to door in the evacuation area.
Pre-evacuation orders are issued from east of Elk Park Subdivision to North Pagosa Boulevard north to Martinez Place.
Multiple agencies are on scene and en route including Pagosa Fire Protection District, Archuleta County Road and Bridge, U.S. Forest Service, South Fork Fire and San Juan County, New Mexico.
Three very large arial tankers (VLAT) are on providing air support.
Small and large animals may be taken to the Humane Society and the Colorado State Extension site on Hwy. 84.
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August 10, 2025, 2:32 p.m.
From Archuleta County Sheriff's Department: ARCHULETA COUNTY, CO: Evacuation ordered for residents within one mile of 38 Spruce Cir. due to fire, evacuate to Pagosa Springs High School.
Watch www.pagosasun.com for updates.
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