BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — As Boulder County officials continue the work to identify the person who died in the Stone Canyon Fire this summer, they are also trying to find a missing 74-year-old resident. However, they say it is too early to conclude the two are the same person.
The Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County began burning on July 30 northeast of the Town of Lyons and by the time it was contained on Aug. 5, five houses had been destroyed and one person had died. The fire spread across 1,557 acres.
Human remains were found in a destroyed home along the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. On Aug. 14, the coroner's office said it was still working to identify the person, which had been a challenge due to the condition of the remains.
"The Coroner’s Office is working closely with forensic experts and law enforcement to address these complexities and expedite the identification process," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said a 74-year-old man who lived at a burned home is missing and detectives have followed every lead to try to find him, to no avail.
"We will not automatically conclude that the missing male, and the unidentified person whose remains were found, are one in the same," the sheriff's office said. "We will do our due diligence and use all scientific and investigative tools and resources available to us to positively confirm the identity of the remains... We know that the identification of the person who died in the fire, as well as the cause of the fire, are of great interest to the community, however, we will take all the time needed to ensure that we do not release incorrect information regarding an on-going investigation. Our goal is to conduct a thorough investigation and to be respectful to the family who lost a loved one and to those who lost their homes in the fire."
Meanwhile, the investigation into the origin of the Stone Canyon Fire continues. Fire investigators are still combing through evidence, the sheriff's office said. Once those reports are completed, the sheriff's office will release more information, it said.
Early on, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating the cause and origin of the fire. No details are available about that as of Wednesday afternoon.
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