that has kept residents and visitors without heat for the past few days. Acting City Manager Scott Miller issued the declaration on Tuesday at 2:35 p.m., which creates a state of emergency for Aspen. The declaration provides the city manager with the tools necessary to protect public health and safety, including the authority to, among other things, shelter vulnerable populations for multiple days and access properties to protect individuals from injury or damage, according to a news release from the city. The declaration provides the city the ability to activate the response and recovery aspect of applicable local and inter-jurisdictional disaster and emergency plans for aid and assistance, officials said in the release.