BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Fire crews at the Stone Canyon Fire said Friday evening that they hope to have full containment of the fire by Sunday.
This comes as all evacuation orders were lifted and all roads announced open in a Saturday evening update from the Boulder Office of Disaster Management.
The Stone Canyon Fire, reported on Tuesday afternoon, burned just west of Rabbit Mountain and northeast of Lyons. It has torched 1,553 acres and containment increased from 30% on Thursday evening to 53% about 24 hours later. One person has died in this fire and four firefighters were injured, officials confirmed Wednesday. Five homes were destroyed.
In the Saturday evening update, officials added 'a couple of homes on Moss Rock may not have power restored until Monday. Expect there to be smoke in the area, please do not call 911,' a social media post read.
Nathan Hallam, incident commander at the fire, said Friday that most of the new containment is along the fire's southwest side.
As a result, they opened up Eagle Ridge Road to the public so residents could return to their homes. Part of the northeast corner also reopened along Dakota Ridge Road.
The northern edge of the fire remains uncontained. Crews have pumped close to 20,000 gallons of water up there, Hallam said. That area has not reopened to the public.
"We're going to keep working on this and hope to have 100% containment by Sunday," he said.
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Some evacuation orders and road closures were also lifted.
As of 3 p.m., N. 55rd Street is open to traffic through Dakota Ridge Road and Redstone Drive. Traffic is not allowed west on Moss Rock Road from the N. Dakota Ridge Road intersection. Stone Canyon Drive is open to the north above the 3100 block, but closed just south of the intersection with Eagle Ridge Road.
Around 7:40 p.m., residents with Stone Canyon addresses of 1570 and lower were welcome to return home, with electricity returning around 8 p.m., according to the Boulder Office of Disaster Management (ODM). Dumpsters for spoiled food will be available Saturday morning.
In addition, Eagle Ridge Road off Lewis Lane and all of Eagle Ridge Road reopened. Residents are also allowed to access up to the 1200 block of Stone Canyon.
Previously, residents who live in the Steamboat Valley and Stone Canyon neighborhoods were allowed to go back home.
Below is a map of the evacuations and fire perimeter. Click here for a larger version.
Earlier this week, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson confirmed that human remains were found in one burned structure along the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road. No other details are available on the fatality.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) deployed its certified fire investigators to this wildfire. 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.
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.
