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Colorado wildfire updates for Friday, August 2, 2024
As Colorado’s wildfires burn themselves out, they are being replaced by others.
This week’s wildfires have killed one person, damaged or destroyed at least 30 buildings, prompted the evacuation of thousands of people along the Front Range and prompted Gov. Jared Polis to deploy the Colorado National Guard.
Boulder County firefighters extinguished the small, multi-acre Lake Shore fire Thursday, but just hours later another wildfire ignited in western Colorado — near Nucla.
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 – started this week and were growing rapidly , fueled by hot, dry weather and dry ground conditions.
Click here to go to a specific brand: Quarry fire | Alexanderberg Fire | Stone Canyon Fire | Bucktail fire | Map of wildfires
Quarry fire near Deer Creek Canyon
- Access to the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 6:30 am
The Quarry Fire is burning across more than 1,000 acres of land in Jefferson County and firefighters have made no progress in containing the blaze, fire officials said Thursday evening.
Although the fire did not grow overnight on Wednesday, warm and dry conditions on Thursday caused the fire to grow again, growing from 341 hectares on Wednesday evening to 450 hectares on Thursday evening. according to fire officials.
As of Thursday, the fire was burning about a quarter-mile from the nearest home — in the Deer Creek Mesa subdivision — and firefighters focused on keeping the flames away from homes and preventing the fire from jumping across Deer Creek Canyon Road.
Three helicopters and two planes dropped water and fire retardant on the fire throughout the day Thursday, and 155 firefighters worked on the ground to battle the flames.
The areas of Deer Creek Mesa, Kuehster, McKinney Ranch, Murphy Gulch, Sampson and Maxwell remain under mandatory evacuation Friday, according to the county’s evacuation map.
The neighborhoods of Hilldale Pines, Oehlmann Park, Silver Ranch, West Ranch, Homestead and Silver Ranch South are under prior evacuation notice.
Deer Creek Canyon Park, South Valley Park, Hildebrand Ranch Park and Reynolds Park are closed until further notice for fire suppression operations, county open space officials said.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
The wildfire was discovered by a sheriff’s deputy Tuesday around 9 p.m. and charred hundreds of acres in less than an hour as the blaze grew rapidly.
Alexander Mountain fire near Loveland
- Access to the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 6:45 am
The Alexander Mountain Fire is now burning on more than 20,000 acres of land west of Loveland and was 5% contained as of Friday morning.
As of Friday, the 9,053-acre fire had damaged or destroyed at least 24 homes and buildings as it burned in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and on private land about 10 miles west of Loveland.
Larimer County officials were able to get into several neighborhoods Thursday and confirmed that at least 20 structures — a combination of homes and outbuildings — in the Palisade Mountain Drive and Snow Top Drive areas were damaged or destroyed by the fire.
It has historically been very difficult to identify the correct homeowners in a wildfire, said Capt. Tim Keeton of the sheriff’s office. Anyone who believes their home has been affected should call the sheriff’s office at 970-980-2800.
“We are aware of the potential for incoming thunderstorms that could cause wind shifts,” fire officials said in a statement Friday morning update. “Firefighters will focus on maintaining lines, managing their safety and the safety of the community.”
As of Friday morning, 327 firefighters were battling the blaze, focusing on protecting the communities of Cedar Park and Storm Mountain, along with homes and critical infrastructure along US 34.
The land south of U.S. 34 has more wood and fuel to keep the fire burning, and there will be more long-term impacts if the fire crosses the highway, according to fire officials.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Anyone with information about the cause and origin of the fire can call the Forest Service Law Enforcement Tip Line at 303-275-5266.
Stone Canyon fire near Lyons
- Access to the latest evacuation map here
Last updated at 7am
The 1,553-acre Stone Canyon fire near Lyons in Boulder County was 30% contained as of Thursday evening.
The blaze killed one person, injured four firefighters and destroyed at least five homes, fire officials said.
County officials confirmed Thursday that human remains were found in a burned building in the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road. The person will be identified by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
What started as a small, 30-hectare fire near Lyon on Tuesday afternoon quickly grew to more than 1,500 hectares, forcing evacuations.
The rough boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone Friday included Bear Trap Gulch and Cattle Drive Road in Larimer County to the north; Rabbit Mountain and Carter Lake Reservoir to the east; US 36 in Lyon to the south; and Elk Ridge and Moose Mountain to the west.
Bucktail fire near Nucla
Last updated at 7am
A new fire ignited in Montrose County on Thursday afternoon and quickly grew from 164 hectares to more than 1,700 hectares.
The Bucktail Fire, burning in western Colorado near Nucla and Uncompahgre National Forest, had already charred 1,760 acres just hours after it started Thursday. according to fire officials.
The fire was still 0% under control on Friday morning, but… No evacuations have been orderedthe fire brigade said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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