Hundreds of Front Range residents returned home this week after increasing containment allowed fire officials to lift mandatory evacuations for the Quarry and Alexander Mountain wildfires.

Fire crews reached 100% containment on the Quarry fire Wednesday afternoon, a swift jump from the 45% containmentas of Tuesday morning.

The 580-acre wildfire burning near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County may smolder for days or weeks as crews mop up the area and stamp out hot spots, sheriff’s officials said. Roads in the area will reopen to the public Thursday morning.

Containment on the Alexander Mountain fire grew to 91% Wednesday, and Larimer County officials lifted all mandatory evacuation orders and reopened U.S. 34 between Loveland and Estes Park.

People living west of the wildfire are still on a voluntary evacuation warning, including Storm Mountain and neighborhoods north of Drake.

The wildfire burning on 9,668 acres of Roosevelt National Forest and private land west of Loveland is also expected to burn sluggishly for days or weeks.

Heavy rain over northern Colorado on Wednesday afternoon prompted National Weather Service forecasters to issue flash flood warnings for the Alexander Mountain and Stone Canyon burn scars.

Bursts of heavy rain will cause flash flooding in creeks, streams, ditches and roadways in the burn scars near Big Thompson Canyon and Lyons, according to the agency.

In areas where fire burns hot or long enough, soil develops a water-repellent layer that reacts like rain on pavement, weather officials said.

Rainfall that normally would be absorbed by the forest canopy and loose tree litter on the ground instead runs off, starting flash floods during heavy rain.

“If you can look uphill from where you are and see a burnt-out area, you are at risk,” weather service meteorologists said Wednesday.

On the Western Slope, the Bucktail fire continued burning on 4,155 acres of Uncompahgre National Forest and Bureau of Land Management land northeast of Nucla in Montrose County. The fire was 10% contained as of Wednesday afternoon.

More firefighters arrived to battle the blaze this week as resources were released from other fires in the state, officials said in a Wednesday update. There are now 193 firefighters, including Hotshot crews, on the fire.

Monsoonal rains are forecast to arrive in the area starting Friday, increasing chances that rain will dampen the fire, officials said Wednesday.

Originally Published: August 7, 2024 at 7:33 p.m.