2 dead as East Troublesome Fire burns more than 188,000 acres

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The East Troublesome Fire has claimed two lives as of Friday evening, the Grand County Sheriff's Office confirmed. The wildfire has burned approximately 188,079 acres and is four percent contained.

Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said the bodies of 86-year-old Lyle and 84-year-old Marylin Hileman were found inside their burned home near Grand Lake.

Schroetlin said that the elderly couple refused to evacuate and wanted to stay with the home they had built and raised their family in.

The sheriff's office expressed its condolences while reading a statement from the family in a Facebook video.

"Pacific Northwest Team 3 and the entire wildland fire community express our deepest condolences to the Hildeman family and friends, and to all who have been so deeply impacted by this tragic event," said Noel Livingston, the incident commander for East Troublesome Fire.