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Lake Christine Fire, Many Voices One Valley

Lake Christine Fire, Many Voices One Valley

On the evening of July 3rd, 2018, a fire began at the Basalt gun range. It eventually spread to over 11,000 acres, down to the edges of Basalt and El Jebel. 2,100 residents were forced to evacuate their homes. At one point, over 600 firefighters and support personnel worked to contain the fire, including local and national responders.

The entire Roaring Fork Community was affected. Some took in friends or neighbors. Some employees could not make it to work. Some were evacuated and went to work anyway. Daycares were closed. Animals, large and small, were taken in on farms and through non-profits. 

Aspen Public Radio was on the scene and on the air with emergency announcements and twice-an-hour updates during the week-long threat from the Lake Christine Fire. We stay on the scene now, collecting the stories of those whose lives changed due to the fire- how they helped, what they lost, what they gained and what they learned.

You can share your storywith us in many ways, and listen to the stories below.

We are Many Voices, One Valley. 

  • Danielle
    Christin Kay
    Danielle and her family live in Missouri Heights. They remember being evacuated at 1 a.m. on July 5th. The young children recall watching the fire start…
  • Christian Mendez
    Christin Kay
    Christian Mendez stayed at the Red Cross evacuation center at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale during the Lake Christine Fire. He describes coming…
  • Chris Stoner
    Christin Kay
    Chris Stoner's home in Old Snowmass was threatened by a wildfire in 2004, and the Lake Christine fire brought back memories of being evacuated. She's now…
  • Angie Riley, Sawyer Riley and Kieley Riley
    Christin Kay
    Wild animals lost over 6000 acres of their habitat to the fire. Angie Riley, her son Sawyer and her daughter Kieley were driving near Spring Park…
  • Suzanne Kelly
    Christin Kay
    Suzanne Kelly was evacuated from El Jebel. After a jarring wake-up call telling her to leave, she didn't think her house would be standing in the morning.…
  • Kristin Santos
    Christin Kay
    Kristin Santos lives on Hill Crest Drive. She talks about the police knocking on her door and telling her she had five minutes to leave her house. After…
  • Terry Christiansen
    Christin Kay
    Terry Christiansen, a resident of Elk Run, describes being able to feel the heat of the fire. She packed her mother’s ashes as she gathered belongings…
  • Penney Evans Carruth
    Christin Kay
    Penney Evans Carruth is the former board chair of Aspen Public Radio. From her home in Missouri Heights, she recalls watching the fire crest over the hill…
  • Alan Fletcher
    Christin Kay
    Alan Fletcher is president and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School. He lives in Missouri Heights. When he got the evacuation notice, he says, he…
  • Greg Sugars
    Christin Kay
    Greg Sugars, from Aspen Junction, relies on his prosthetics to walk. He recalls how that made both of his evacuations even more difficult. He also talks…
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