Polis formalizes Sharpe Fire disaster declaration, shifts $259,000 for response and recovery

Gov. Jared Polis on June 15 formally declared a disaster emergency for the Sharpe Fire in Baca County and transferred $259,000 into the state Disaster Emergency Fund, taking a formal legal and funding step nearly a month after the blaze threatened Campo and surrounding rural areas.

The June 15 executive order memorializes Polis’s earlier verbal declaration from May 17, when the fire crossed into Colorado and prompted evacuations in Campo and nearby rural areas. The order says the fire burned 29,209 acres in Baca County and was 100% contained by May 21.

The immediate change is the state’s financing authority. The order says the existing Disaster Emergency Fund was insufficient, so Polis directed a $259,000 transfer from the State Emergency Reserve Cash Fund. The order says the money is encumbered for fire suppression, response, consequence management, mitigation and recovery tied to the Sharpe Fire, and that the Colorado Office of Emergency Management may allocate it to government agencies and nonprofit organizations through awards, purchase orders or similar mechanisms.

Public records reviewed by Badger did not show a Sharpe Fire-specific FEMA declaration or other approved federal disaster aid. The governor’s order directs state agencies to pursue available federal funding for response and recovery, but does not say any request had been approved as of June 15.

A May 21 U.S. Forest Service update said the Colorado side of the fire was fully contained, with crews remaining to patrol fire lines and check for hot spots. That same update said there were no evacuation orders and no current road closures on the Colorado side.

What remains unclear is how much local governments or fire agencies will ultimately seek back. Badger did not find a public statement from Baca County, Campo or a local fire district quantifying remaining recovery needs, expected reimbursement or unreimbursed costs. Baca County’s emergency-management page includes general contact and preparedness information but, on the page reviewed, did not list Sharpe Fire cost estimates or assistance applications.

The declaration itself may also be nearing a decision point. The executive order says it expires 30 days from May 17 unless extended by a further executive order. Badger did not find a public extension order or other official statement saying one is planned.

For now, the order formalizes the state’s legal footing for remaining Sharpe Fire costs in Baca County, while larger questions — including whether federal money will follow and how much local entities may still try to recover — remain unresolved in public records.