Editor’s note: Tap here to read the latest on Colorado wildfire updates for Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.
Colorado wildfire updates for Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024
Wildfires in Colorado have killed one person, damaged or destroyed more than 50 buildings and evacuated thousands of people across the Front Range.
Together, the wildfires — one of which is under an active arson investigation— have burned nearly 15,000 acres of land across the state, stretching resources thin as hot weather exacerbates burn conditions.
RELATED: How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation in Colorado
All four major fires currently burning — the Quarry fire in Jefferson County, the Alexander Mountain fire in Larimer County, the Stone Canyon fire in Boulder and Larimer counties and the Bucktail fire in Montrose County — began this week and grew rapidly, fueled by hot, dry weather and arid conditions on the ground.
Click here to skip to a specific fire: Quarry fire |Alexander Mountain fire |Stone Canyon fire |Bucktail fire | Wildfire map
Quarry fire near Deer Creek Canyon
Access the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 1:12 p.m.
The Quarry fire grew 20 to 30 acres overnight, bringing the total burn area to roughly 500 acres, fire officials said Saturday morning.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, mandatory evacuations had been lifted for Jefferson County’s Deer Creek Mesa and Kuehster neighborhoods, according to Jefferson County sheriff’s spokesperson Mark Techmeyer.
Residents will be able to reenter their homes but must have a badge issued from the evacuation center set up at Dakota Ridge High School, Techmeyer said.
The evacuation center issued preliminary badges for all neighborhoods between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Techmeyer said the center would reopen between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday if residents in Deer Creek Mesa and Kuehster didn’t already get their badges.
Techmeyer said it’s not enough to show up with a driver’s license and show your address — residents must have a badge to enter because roads in the area will remain closed to the public for several days.
Jefferson County sheriff’s investigators continued Saturday to search for clues as to who started the fire after announcing that it is being investigated as arson. They have not specified whether they suspect the fire was started intentionally or by accident.
Investigators said the fire sparked in Deer Creek Canyon Park above Grizzly Drive where the trail has multiple switchbacks.
“The reason it’s an arson investigation is that we preliminarily believe that this fire is human-caused in some manner,” Kevin Bost, division chief for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s criminal investigations division, said.
Officials declined to release any other information Saturday about the arson investigation or whether they’d identified any suspects. They asked anyone with tips or home security camera footage that may be helpful to call the tip line at 303-271-5612.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fire remained a quarter-mile from the nearest home and was 20% contained, according to Techmeyer. Firefighting crews continued to work in neighborhoods to spray water and pull anything combustible away from buildings.
“The fire has islands of unburned fuel which may result in large plumes of dark smoke rising into the air from time to time,” fire officials said in a Saturday morning update. “The fire is, in essence, burning back in on itself.”
Four helicopters took to the air Saturday morning to drop water on the flames, while 23 fire engines and more than 225 firefighters joined the fight on the ground, fire officials said.
TheMcKinney Ranch, Murphy Gulch, Sampson and Maxwell areas remained under mandatory evacuation orders Saturday, according to the county’s evacuation map.
The Hilldale Pines, Oehlmann Park, Silver Ranch, West Ranch, Homestead and Silver Ranch South neighborhoods are on pre-evacuation notice. Now, Deer Creek Mesa and Kuehster will join them.
Deer Creek Canyon Park, South Valley Park, Hildebrand Ranch Park and Reynolds Park are closed until further notice because of firefighting operations, county open space officials said.
Even after evacuation orders are lifted, Techmeyer said roads in the area will remain closed to help control traffic and prioritize getting people back into their homes safely.
Techmeyer said residents should not fly personal drones or cameras above the fire, and sheriff’s investigators are tracking down someone who has repeatedly violated the Federal Aviation Administration’s restricted airspace.
When other aircraft and drones fly above the fire, the helicopters and air tankers working to drop water and fire retardant on the flames have to land, Techmeyer said.
Alexander Mountain fire near Loveland
Access the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 9:38 a.m.
The Alexander Mountain fire burning on private and national forest land west of Loveland has charred more than 9,500 acres, fire officials said Saturday.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fire was 32% contained, fire officials said in a news briefing.
Since the 9,530-acre fire started on Monday, it has destroyed nearly 50 homes and buildings and damaged another four, according to a news release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The burnt homes were found along Cedar Creek Road, Spruce Mountain Drive, Green Ridge Road, Possum Court, Palisade Mountain Drive, Snow Top Drive and Bobcat Drive, sheriff’s officials said.
Emergency officials said homeowners in the affected areas who the sheriff’s office has not already contacted should call the Damage Assessment Center at 970-980-2800.
No new buildings were damaged by the fire Saturday, but the number of burned homes might go up as disaster assessment teams finish exploring the burn area, according to Larimer County spokesperson Joe Shellhammer.
In a Saturday afternoon briefing, Shellhammer said teams were unable to access some of the affected roads and neighborhoods during the initial assessment because of active fire behavior.
Saturday morning, 389 firefighters were battling the fire, focusing on protecting the communities of Cedar Park and Storm Mountain along with homes and critical infrastructure along U.S. 34.
The land south of U.S. 34 has more timber and fuel for the fire to burn, and there will be more long-term consequences if the fire crosses the highway, according to fire officials.
As of 9:45 a.m. Saturday, the rough boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone included Storm Mountain and Spruce Mountain to the north, the Masonville Stone Quarry and Devil’s Backbone Open Space to the east, Carter Lake Reservoir and Blue Mountain to the south and the end of Hell Canyon Road to the west.
Areas near the Masonville Stone Quarry, Devil’s Backbone Open Space, King’s Revenue Ranch and Carter Lake Reservoir remained under voluntary evacuation orders Saturday morning, according to the evacuation map.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Shellhammer said the forensics investigation team hiked up Saturday to the fire’s origin site on Alexander Mountain, but haven’t been able to determine the cause — whether human or natural — yet.
Stone Canyon fire near Lyons
Access the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 10:20 a.m.
The 1,553-acre Stone Canyon fire near Lyons in Boulder County was 53% contained Saturday morning, according to county officials.
The fire has killed one person, injured two firefighters and charred at least five homes, fire officials said.
County officials confirmed Thursday that human remains were found in a burned structure in the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road. The person will be identified by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Rough boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone Saturday included Indian Mountain to the north, Dakota Ridge Road to the east, U.S. 36 in Lyons to the south and Steamboat Mountain to the west.
As of Saturday morning, all of Stone Canyon Drive had reopened to residents and through traffic, but Moss Rock Drive and Moss Rock Court remained closed, county officials said.
Bucktail fire near Nucla
Last updated at 10:30 a.m.
The Bucktail fire burning in Montrose County has charred nearly 3,000 acres in two days, according to fire officials.
As of Friday night, the 2,940-acre wildfire — which sparked Thursday on private land near Nucla and Uncompahgre National Forest — was 0% contained, fire officials said.
The fire hasn’t damaged any homes and no evacuations have been ordered.
“It is burning in pinyon pine, juniper and oak brush fuel types,” fire officials said Saturday. “It has a very high spread potential and is exhibiting active to extreme fire behavior.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Originally Published: August 3, 2024 at 10:49 a.m.
