DENVER - Today, Governor Jared Polis announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved Colorado's request for disaster assistance loans following the Aspen Acres Fire and subsequent burn scar flooding in Pueblo and Custer counties. These loans are intended to provide homeowners, renters, businesses, and non-profits help for uninsured damages and loss resulting from the fire.

"Coloradans recovering from the Aspen Acres Fire deserve every opportunity to rebuild and bounce back. Colorado moved quickly to secure this assistance, and now families and businesses can apply for low-interest loans to repair homes, replace belongings, and reopen doors. I encourage affected Coloradans to explore these resources and get the support needed to move forward," said Governor Polis.

SBA's disaster assistance for the Aspen Acres Fire includes:

• Business Physical Disaster Loans: Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private, non-profit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities, etc., are also eligible.
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.
• Home Disaster Loans: Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles.
• Mitigation Improvements: When a loan application is approved, additional funds may be available to cover the cost of improvements that will protect the property against future damages based on physical damages to real property.

Eligible homeowners are now able to apply for up to $500,000 to repair or replace verified uninsured homes damages, and homeowners and renters can seek up to $100,000 to replace damaged belongings. Disaster loans are also available to impacted businesses for up to $2 million for the repair or replacement of damaged property, inventories, machinery, and other equipment to support businesses' financial obligations during recovery.

SBA will open Disaster Loan Assistance Centers (DLOCs) to impacted Coloradans on Monday, October 19, in Pueblo and Custer counties. SBA staff will be available to help residents, property owners, renters, business owners, and nonprofits to answer questions and help Coloradans apply for SBA assistance. These centers will be located at:

Pueblo County
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Pueblo County Government Services Center
201 West 8th St., Suite 310, Pueblo, CO, 81003.
Open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Custer County
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Wetmore Community Library
95 County Rd. 393, Wetmore, CO, 81253, at the junction of Highway 67 and Highway 96.
Open Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

EIDL loans are also available to businesses in the surrounding counties of Crowley, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Las Animas, Lincoln, Otero and Saguache, recognizing that the impacts from the fire extend beyond the burn scar to businesses in nearby counties.

The Aspen Acres Fire began on June 29, prompting Governor Polis to declare a state disaster emergency and deploy the Colorado National Guard. On August 23, the Governor requested a Major Disaster Declaration for the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires and subsequent flooding. Federal Public Assistance was approved on September 4, followed by denials of Individual Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding on September 18. On October 9, Governor Polis announced Colorado's request for SBA assistance and the decision not to appeal the Individual Assistance denial to avoid delaying access to disaster loans, but to appeal the HGMP denial.

Applications for SBA assistance are now open at SBA's disaster assistance page. The deadline to apply for physical damage loans is December 14, 2026, and the deadline for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is July 14, 2027 for the Aspen Acres Fire. State recovery information and updates about in-person loan assistance centers in Custer and Pueblo counties are available on the Colorado Divisions of Homeland Security and Emergency Management's website. Applicants can also contact SBA at 1-800-659-2955 for application assistance.

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