Residents near Colorado City watch with concern as Aspen Acres Fire approaches

Friday morning, residents near Colorado City had to grab what they could and leave because strong overnight winds pushed the Aspen Acres Fire south toward the town. Those on the outskirts of the evacuation zone are waiting to find out if they'll need to leave soon.

"We were actually in the process of moving anyway, coincidentally, but we're loading up what we were going to move on the 26th of July, trying to get as much as we can of that now, and then I'll have to deal with the rest later if I can," said Colorado City resident David Bates.

He isn't in the evacuation zone yet; he's about a block shy, but the fire is close.

"It looks like it's about three miles away from here," said Bates.

He says the past week in his neighborhood has been unusual and troubling.

"The winds have calmed down, but that was the concern and the overwhelming amount of smoke there was last night. I mean, it was incredible. Even up until this morning, it was. You wouldn't be able to see past this house right there," said Bates, pointing to his next-door neighbor's home.

Fire officials say Thursday night's dry conditions, warm temperatures, low humidity and winds fueled the blaze. So, despite efforts on the ground and in the air, the fire grew by 11,000 acres overnight.

Bates says that when he got a call telling him he was under a pre-evacuation notice, he was shocked.

"You know, kind of wasn't expected as soon as we got it," said Bates.

But he's thankful for his community, which has come together to help each other, the chance to pack up his home, and for his coworkers who volunteered to help him.

"It's a real privilege to have that kind of friendship," said Bates.