Four residents from Pueblo and Custer counties have taken San Isabel Electric Association to court, arguing the utility’s equipment and vegetation management failures were a substantial factor in sparking the Aspen Acres Fire on June 29. The civil lawsuit, filed this week in Pueblo County Court, says witnesses reported seeing a large tree leaning on a power line the morning the fire started, and that another resident captured video of flames burning under and near a line. The plaintiffs are asking for compensation tied to evacuation costs, property and soil damage, lost wages, and emotional distress. Authorities have classified the blaze as human-caused, but investigators say the exact origin remains under review.
What the lawsuit alleges
As reported by KKTV, the complaint names Seth and Stacey Johnson, Frank Elmer, and Rafael Velez as plaintiffs. They argue that San Isabel Electric failed to adequately inspect, maintain, and repair its power lines and did not properly trim vegetation near those lines.
The filing claims multiple residents saw small fires near power lines in the days leading up to June 29. One witness, according to the complaint, videotaped a timber and grass fire burning under and near a power line in the Aspen Acres subdivision. The lawsuit contends that these alleged lapses by the utility significantly increased the risk of ignition and helped set the stage for the larger wildfire that followed.
Fire footprint and evacuations
The Aspen Acres Fire has cut a wide scar across south-central Colorado, burning into both Pueblo and Custer counties and triggering mandatory evacuations for Rye, Beulah, San Isabel, and Colorado City, according to incident updates. Pueblo County’s daily bulletin lists the fire’s cause as “Human, Under Investigation” while tracking size and containment.
Aerial analysis reviewed by The Colorado Sun estimated that roughly 780 structures have been lost across the two counties, with damage assessments still underway. Officials say the blaze has already become one of the larger wildfires in recent Colorado history, and caution that recovery, cleanup, and detailed damage surveys will be a long haul.
San Isabel Electric's response
San Isabel Electric has issued an outage advisory on its website telling members that crews are patrolling the fire-damaged areas and that restoring power in the hardest-hit zones could take anywhere from days to months. The co-op has also asked customers to report any damaged equipment directly to the utility.
An updated advisory appeared on San Isabel Electric’s website on July 13. Local reporters say they have reached out to the co-op for comment on the lawsuit and have not yet received a legal response. In the meantime, San Isabel Electric is coordinating restoration work while emergency teams and investigators continue their origin and cause operations in and around the burn area.
Legal context and precedent
The complaint accuses San Isabel Electric of negligence, citing alleged failures to inspect lines, repair equipment, and clear vegetation. The plaintiffs argue those shortcomings made a fire more likely to start and easier to spread once it did.
Colorado utilities have faced high-profile legal fights over wildfires before. Xcel Energy, for example, announced agreements in principle to resolve litigation tied to the 2021 Marshall Fire in 2025, illustrating how civil cases over wildfire origins can lead to substantial settlements even without an admission of fault, according to Xcel Energy.
What’s next
The new lawsuit, filed in Pueblo County Court, is publicly accessible and seeks financial relief connected to evacuations, property losses, and emotional harm. While investigators continue to work on the fire’s origin and cause, the civil case will move forward on its own track. The plaintiffs have not yet proposed a trial date and have not specified a dollar amount for damages in the filing.
Readers can review the full filing here: complaint and jury demand (PDF).
