One person dead as crews battle wildfires across Colorado’s Front Range
COLORADO (KRDO) - One person is dead as fires burning in the foothills north and west of Denver force thousands of people to evacuate.
The one fatality comes from the Stone Canyon Fire burning north of Lyons in Boulder and Larimer County, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. We're told the person, whose identity has not yet been released, was found dead in a home that caught fire. Officials are reporting four other homes have also burned in the Stone Canyon Fire.
Firefighters say the Stone Canyon Fire, which started Tuesday afternoon, has burned over 1,300 acres. They say this fire is currently most active on its northeast side. Crews will continue their efforts fighting the blaze Wednesday with help from helicopter water drops.
The Alexander Mountain Fire burning west of Loveland near Big Thompson Canyon is the other major wildfire crews are currently fighting in Colorado, and currently the largest in the state. It’s scorched around 6,000 acres since it started Monday morning. No deaths have been reported and no homes have burned in this fire as of Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The Quarry Fire broke out late last night near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County. The fire has burned 200 acres as of Wednesday morning. The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) tells KRDO it's sending three firefighters to help with mitigation efforts in that area. The department says it's already sent ten of its crew members to other fires in Colorado and western parts of the country, and will likely be maxed out with this group in terms of its ability to aid other areas. CSFD says it's still confident in its current staffing should a wildfire break out in the El Paso County area.
Stage I fire restrictions are currently in place for El Paso County, meaning fires are only allowed in permanently constructed fire rings.
Air quality alerts are in place for Teller, El Paso, Fremont, and Pueblo Counties due to smoke from the fires burning in CO as well as those burning in other western states including California.
All of the fires are currently sitting at zero percent containment, and investigators are still looking into the cause of each fire.
Governor Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration Tuesday due to the wildfires burning in the state to help amp up local and national aid. Governor Polis is scheduled to give a press briefing at 12:45 p.m. on the state’s response to these fires.
In El Paso County, Sheriff and Fire Warden Joseph Roybal has implemented Stage I Fire Restrictions for all unincorporated areas.
We’ll have the latest on KRDO13 at noon, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 p.m. We’ll also continue to update this article with the newest information as it comes into our newsroom.
