JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo — A wildfire burning on treacherous, steep terrain near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes before dawn Wednesday as high temperatures and windy conditions raised concerns the fire could spread into nearby neighborhoods before nightfall.
The Quarry Fire — the third in as many days on Colorado's Front Range — is 341 acres as of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"The good news is that large air support is dropping fire retardant, and four helicopters are dropping water (on the fire) as we speak," said Jefferson County spokesperson Mark Techmeyer during a press conference, adding the firefighting efforts were much different than earlier in the day when county officials didn't know whether air support would help out the approximately 75 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze.
Evacuation orders remain for residents in the Deer Creek Mesa, Sampson, McKinney, Murphy and Maxwell subdivisions. The Silver Ranch and Silver Ranch South subdivisions were under pre-evacuation notices, according to Techmeyer. That continued Thursday morning.
Pre-evacuations were ordered around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday for the Homestead South neighborhood and Oehlmann Park neighborhood. They remain under that order, as of 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Hilldale Pines is also under a pre-evacuation order, as of Thursday morning.
A map of the area under alert can be viewed here.
About 575 homes had been evacuated so far, with more possible if the winds shift direction, he said.
A Wildland Task Force — five engines, a safety officer and a team leader with firefighters from various local agencies — was deployed Wednesday around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for a 12-hour shift around the fire, South Metro Fire said.
The fire was spotted by a Jefferson County deputy doing his regular patrol in the area at about 9 p.m. Tuesday when he came across a small 10x10 spot fire which grew to 100 acres within about three hours "in a very populated area that is mountainous and steep," Techmeyer said Wednesday morning. The area where the fire is burning is full of scrub brush and is really hard to navigate on foot, he added.
Deputies were going door to door to alert residents and a Lookout Alert was sent to those living in the area. Evacuees were told to head to Dakota Ridge High School, where over 50 people were taking refuge along with nearly a dozen of their pets. Large animals were being evacuated to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, but people with smaller animals, like cats and dogs, could go to the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden.
"I saw right before I went to sleep that it had been announced and so I put my phone on loud, actually, cause I was expecting that I would get some sort of call about it," said Molly Finlay, a woman living in the area who was forced to evacuate her home along with her husband and child.
Techmeyer said firefighters had so far been successful in keeping the fire out of neighborhoods and no injuries had been reported as of 11:30 a.m., but he warned that the emergency was far from over.
Wildfire
Multiple wildfires rage in Colorado amid hot, dry conditions. Here's the latest
"I will be very blunt — every neighborhood in this facility is at risk. This fire is not an easy fight. The terrain is treacherous. It is very steep," Techmeyer said. "Every neighborhood in there is in a situation that we need to get this fire out. So there’s not one, per se, that is in immediate danger, they all are."
Techmeyer called on residents living near the area to use common sense and evacuate as soon as possible if they see fire approaching.
"If you are concerned — if you see heavy, thick smoke, if you see flames — you need to go. Don’t wait on us to say, ‘Your neighborhood is evacuated.’ You need to follow your heart and your gut and say, ‘I don’t feel safe here, this is not a good deal, I need to go.'"
We continue to monitor all fires across Colorado. Please be mindful outdoors, and stay safe.
— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) July 31, 2024
Check out https://t.co/POhiMouZRf for information on all active fires, evacuation orders and available shelters. You can also visit https://t.co/IDuEBdwB0w for emergency information… pic.twitter.com/NPYp2bGDRw
Jefferson County spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said during the afternoon conference that they were thankful for the aircraft support that was helping them dump over 10,000 gallons of fire retardant on the blaze because without it, "firefighters would literally have to hike in a couple of miles to get to some of these areas where the fire is and that is very, very difficult terrain," which she described as "canyon lands."
Kelley said it was ultimately an assessment of the fire by the incident commander that prompted that air support.
West Metro Fire Rescue is assisting the Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District in fighting the fire, which is being named The Quarry Fire. In all, over a dozen fire agencies were assisting the Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District but with the Stone Canyon Fire burning north of Lyons in Bouder County and the much larger Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County, "resources are thin," Techmeyer said.
The steep, mountainous terrain where the fire is burning won't be the only thing firefighters will have to contend with, as rattlesnakes are also currently active this time of year.
"Our number one priority is to keep (our firefighters) safe," Techmeyer said earlier in the day.
Wildfire
Colorado National Guard to support crews as more air resources battle wildfires
Road closures are currently in place for South Valley Road south of Ken Caryl Ranch and Deer Creek Canyon east of Deer Creek.
Those looking to recreate should look elsewhere outside of Jefferson County as Chatfield State Park is closed due to the fire, the county posted on X.
In Jefferson County, the Lookout Alert emergency notification system is used to citizens with warnings of flood, fire, tornadoes, chemical spills or dangerous suspects. Lookout Alert is free for all residents. Click here to sign up.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office plans to provide another update on the fire later in the day, but those looking for the latest updates should click here.
The cause of the Quarry Fire is not known at this time.
People in Evergreen were encouraged to call 911 for smoke columns and flames, but not to report a smoky haze in the mountain valleys.
"Our resources (volunteer and paid) are scrambling to check on all reports of smoke, but chasing smoke haze puts responders at unnecessary risk," Evergreen fire officials said Wednesday.
In an update later Wednesday, officials from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said there would be no new updates on the fire for the rest of the day.
"The air support was helpful today, but we still have much groundwork to be completed. We will post changes as they occur."
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.