Las Animas County, Colorado, United States – A powerful firefighting operation is underway as crews battle the Schwachheim Fire with coordinated air and ground attacks in rugged terrain near the Colorado-New Mexico border.

The video, filmed by X user Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control, presents a compilation of aerial and ground firefighting efforts responding to the blaze.

The footage opens with a helicopter lifting a large water bucket against a bright, cloud-filled sky. Rapid cuts show pilots inside DFPC helicopters as multiple aircraft carry out repeated water and retardant drops over dry hills and burned vegetation.

Fixed-wing air tankers are also seen crossing clear skies, releasing thick streams of bright pink fire retardant that spread across rocky ridges and smoky valleys.

On the ground, a firefighter wearing a blue helmet and yellow shirt watches from a hillside as a helicopter drops water directly onto a smoking ridge. Smoke continues to rise behind the impact zone.

The montage concludes with a military-style helicopter on a paved surface under hazy conditions, reflecting the scale of the coordinated response.

The Schwachheim Fire began on April 12, 2026, in the Lake Dorothey State Wildlife Area southeast of Trinidad. Driven by strong winds and steep terrain, the fire quickly expanded to more than 1,000 acres, reaching 1,012 acres at its peak.

Initial containment stood at zero percent, but by April 16 to 17, crews had increased containment to 36 percent through the combined efforts of handcrews, helicopters, air tankers, and multiple agencies working together.

No evacuations were ordered during the incident, though conditions highlighted ongoing critical fire weather across southern Colorado.

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