Click here for Thursday's update on the Stone Canyon Fire.
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BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — There was little growth to the Stone Canyon Fire overnight into Thursday morning and officials said the fire, burning north of Lyons, remained at 20 percent containment.
One person died and four firefighters were injured, officials confirmed.
Human remains were found in one burned structure, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said during a press conference on Wednesday morning. No other details were immediately available on the fatality.
Watch the latest update on the Stone Canyon Fire, as well as other wildfires burning on the Front Range, below.
Sheriff Johnson added in his morning update that five structures were impacted by the fire, but did not have information on what sort of structures they were, or if they had been damaged or destroyed. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis later confirmed in a press conference that all five were homes and all were destroyed. The sheriff's office said around 6:40 p.m. that those residents have been notified about the loss.
In addition, four firefighters were injured, according to a press release from FEMA. Two were hurt today and two were hurt as a result of the environment they were working in. No other details were available about their conditions or how they were hurt.
The Stone Canyon Fire, which was reported just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, is currently burning just west of Rabbit Mountain and northeast of Lyons. It torched 1,580 acres of private land and is 20% contained as of 7:30 p.m. The Boulder Office of Disaster Management reported that 120 firefighters are working on the ground, with 37 trucks at the scene.
There was no significant growth overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, according to the office. Fire crews will continue to work around the blaze overnight into Thursday.
Wildfire
Lyons business stays open amid Stone Canyon fire, providing community support
"Last night, we were able to make significant progress, especially on the south and west sides of the fire," Sheriff Johnson said during a mid-day press conference. "Those are the areas that, should the fire creep over, those edges would encroach on the Town of Lyons, which we're trying very hard to protect. Currently, most of the fire activity is to the north and east, and that area runs into more agricultural and less vegetative lands, which is good for us."
Aircraft will return Wednesday to help attack from the air, the office said.
Below is a map of the evacuations and fire perimeter. No new evacuations have been issued since Tuesday. Click here for a larger version.
While mandatory evacuations remain in place around the fire, some were lifted Wednesday morning for the northern and western parts of the Town of Lyons — specifically the areas of Highway 36 north of Lyons to Apple Valley Road (North).
Mandatory evacuations are currently in effect for the following locations:
- East of 5th Avenue and north of Broadway in Lyons
- Along Highway 66 or south on Highway 36 and the Eagle Ridge area
An overnight shelter is available at the Foundation Church, located at 1380 N. Denver St. in Loveland. People with ranch animals can bring them to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 15200 W. 6th Ave. in Golden. Smaller pets can be brought to Boulder Valley Humane Society, located at 2323 55th St. in Boulder, and Longmont Humane Society, located at 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont.
"Property owners who lost a residence in Boulder County during the Stone Canyon Fire have been notified by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office," the Boulder Office of Emergency Management said. "The Sheriff's Office will not be releasing the addresses of those properties at this time. Damage assessment crews will continue assessing the area and any updates will be provided."
Highway 36 and Highway 66 (Ute Highway) reopened in both directions on Wednesday morning.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is asking anybody with information about how this fire started to contact the office at 303-441-3674 or bcsotips@bouldercounty.gov. The cause remains under investigation.
State and federal help
FEMA has authorized the use of federal funds to help with the firefighting cost of the Stone Canyon Fire, as well as the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County.
FEMA Region 8 Deputy Administrator Katherine Fox approved the state’s requests for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant after receiving the requests Wednesday morning, FEMA said. This means FEMA funding will cover 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs.
As of the time of the request, the Stone Canyon Fire was threatening more than 480 homes and other structures, plus roads, bridges, infrastructure and utilities. Four firefighters were injured in the blaze, FEMA said.
Both Stone Canyon Fire and the Alexander Mountain Fire are now both considered state-controlled fires.
Gov. Polis issued a verbal order around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to call the Colorado National Guard to assist crews.
"That's the first fire-related activation since the Marshall Fire for the Colorado National Guard," Polis said. "And to be clear, the Colorado National Guard are not the firefighters. They are the ones who are able to take additional support positions, road closures, logistics, then free up other first responders to more directly respond to the fight."
Call center information
If you are a community member and have a non-emergency question about the fire, the call center can help. Just call 303-413-7730.
Air quality
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council issued an Action Day Alert in Boulder County on Wednesday that will remain in effect until at least 4 p.m. Thursday.
Residents should expect locally heavy smoke in areas around the Alexander Mountain and Stone Canyon wildfires.
How you can help
People who want to donate to victims of the Stone Canyon Fire should go to the Boulder ODM website and click on the Donations button at the top of the page to let Boulder officials know what items they have so they can contact you in case those items are needed.
Do not drop off donations at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.
Other Colorado wildfires
Three wildfires are currently burning along Colorado's Front Range.
The Stone Canyon Fire is burning about 14 miles south of the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County, which has grown to more than 6,700 acres. In addition, the Quarry Fire west of Ken Caryl, which broke out Wednesday morning, has burned about 200 acres. Both the Quarry Fire and Alexander Mountain Fire forced evacuations.
Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director Stan Hilkey said fire resources will be shared between all three fires.
For more about all three wildfires, watch the full press conference below.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.