Hot, dry conditions continue through weekend as crews circle Front Range wildfires (2024)

Crews working three wildfires burning along the Front Range will have another day of hot, dry weather to contend with Saturday as they try to gain greater containment on the fires that started earlier this week.

The Alexander Mountain fire, which started Monday west of Loveland, has damaged or destroyed 49 structures, the Larimer County sheriff said Friday night. It has burned more than 9,500 acres. But by Saturday afternoon it was at 32% contained, up from 5% in the morning.

The greatest containment is on the Stone Canyon fire, which started Tuesday north of Lyons. Officials reported Saturday night they have 90% containment on the fire. One person died in the fire and five structures have been destroyed.

More resources are on the ground to fight the Quarry fire burning in Jefferson County. Officials say the fire was started on purpose and an arson investigation is underway. The fire has burned 472 acres since starting Tuesday night in Jefferson County open space.It is 20% contained, officials said in a news conference Saturday.

The weather forecast for Saturday is concerning federal fire managers. Temperatures are expected to remain high, with the chance of thunderstorms that could bring erratic, gusty winds, though there is the possibility of rain in the Sunday outlook.

Forecast along the Front Range calls for near-record high temperatures this weekend, and the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Sunday.

“Today, the weather is also concerning,” Jefferson County Sheriff Reggie Marinelli said Saturday morning. “If it were to drop rain for us, we’d be very appreciative of that. However, we all know in Colorado what comes with those small storms and that’s the lightning and the wind. So, we’re being very cautious about that.”

Catch up: Read live updates from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Alexander Mountain fire

Containment up to 32%; investigation into cause starts

Officials announced a major jump in containment Saturday, with lines now built around 32% of the fire, up from 5% when the day started. The greatest gains are on the east side of the fire, near Masonville, and along the U.S. 34 corridor.

Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said Saturday as containment improves they should be able to let some people back into their homes and “reduce the evacuation footprint tomorrow.”

Feyen also said that investigators from the sheriff’s office and the U.S. Forest Service were able to get to the area where they believe the fire started, but he did not have information on their findings.

“No determination or no final conclusion as to how it happened,” Feyen said. “It’s a hard hike to get in there, but they did get in there and that forensic work has started this morning.

Asked if the fire was human-caused, Feyen declined to speculate.

The fire burning to the north is running into the Cameron Peak fire scar from 2020, which is helpful to firefighters. That fire is the largest in state history and burned more than 208,000 acres and destroyed 469 structures.

Federal fire managers said earlier this week that they would likely let the fire move about a mile into the Cameron Peak scar before beginning to turn the flames back.

More than 500 people are now working the fire.

— 4:31 p.m. Saturday

Cedar Park neighborhood big focus

The efforts Saturday for ground crews include boxing in the southwestern corner and the west side of the fire near the Cedar Park neighborhood.

“Where we protected homes, now we’re going to get in there and work to try to create actual containment of the fire by connecting the dots,” Brandon Woodward, an operations chief with the management team, said in a morning update.

Nearly 400 personnel are on the fire, which was at 5% contained as of Saturday morning.

— 12:51 p.m. Saturday

Nearly 50 structures damaged, destroyed

At least 25 homes were destroyed and four others were damaged as the Alexander Mountain fire moved through neighborhoods north of the town of Drake, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday night.

Not all of the property owners have been notified, Sheriff John Feyen said. All of the damage is in the neighborhood of Palisade Mountain and Snow Top drives and includes another 20 outbuildings that were destroyed.

Investigators still are trying to reach people who have property on Cedar Creek Road, Spruce Mountain Drive, Green Ridge Road, Possum Court, Palisade Mountain Drive, Snow Top Drive and Bobcat Drive. Owners along those streets are asked to call 970-980-2800 to provide current contact information to the Office of Emergency Management.

Fire activity increased Friday on the northwestern edge of the fire and south of the neighborhoods where the homes were burned, federal fire managers said, causing more smoke in the afternoon. Crews protected an area near Cedar Springs Reservoir in the same neighborhood as aircraft dropped water and slurry on the western edge of the fire to slow its progress.

There are 398 firefighters working in rugged and steep areas above Big Thompson Canyon. Firelines on the fire’s eastern edge have held.

Smoke continued to be heavy in communities near the fire, including Glen Haven and neighborhoods north of Estes Park. Air quality warnings have been issued for most communities in Larimer and Boulder counties.

—7 a.m. Saturday

Stone Canyon fire

One neighborhood still under evacuation orders

Boulder County authorities opened all of Stone Canyon Drive to residents and others on Saturday, leaving only the Moss Rock neighborhood just to the east, off limits.

The area includes 11 homes and was described as “still hot.” The Office of Disaster Management said fire and utility crews were working in the area, preparing for the evacuation to lift.

In town Saturday morning there was little evidence of the fire that terrorized Lyons earlier in the week. Barbecue grills in LaVern M. Johnson Park, which includes tent camping sites, were covered and posted with Boulder County’s countywide ban on open flames outdoors.

— 4:45 p.m. Saturday

Firefighters circling flames

More evacuation notices have been lifted as firefighters made major headway Friday in containing the fire. It is now more than halfway contained as ground crews circle the blaze.

The fire remains active and smoke will still be seen through the weekend, officials said.

—7:15 a.m. Saturday

Quarry fire

Fire lines being drawn as containment doubles

Firefighters made big strides Saturday in containing the fire, which hasn’t grown much in size the past few days. The fire is now 20% contained, up from 10% Saturday morning.

“That is a big step up from where we’ve been,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mark Techmeyer said during a news conference Saturday afternoon. “We’ve made a lot of progress, folks.”

A big part of getting the lines in rugged terrain has been the work of two Hotshot crews, which are about 20 people each and trained to work in dangerous areas.

Techmeyer said residents are “gonna see a lot of smoke” Sunday as firefighters set intentional fires on the west side — in what he dubbed “no man’s land” — where the terrain is the most difficult.

— 4:45 p.m. Saturday

Rattlesnakes, bears in mix

A part of the fire is burning in an area known as Rattlesnake Gulch, and the Jefferson County sheriff said Saturday morning firefighters have encountered rattlesnakes and as well as inquisitive bruins.

“They came across rattlesnakes yesterday as well as bears that are very curious as to what they are doing,” Sheriff Reggie Marinelli said. “Those are some safety issues for firefighters. But the number one safety issue is the heat.”

Containment on the fire is expected to increase today as crews secure and connect fire lines.

“I expect that (10% containment) number to jump. I anticipate a much bigger jump today,” Jefferson County spokesman Mark Techmeyer said Saturday morning.

He said more smoke will be visible Saturday because of the work crews are doing on the west side in open space.

“It’s to be expected,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to panic and think things are getting out of control. It is intentional, and you’ll see that today.”

— 8:20 a.m. Saturday

Work on hand lines helping with containment

Firefighters on Friday were “very aggressively” digging hand lines that have connected to fire breaks cleared by bulldozers, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley said Friday afternoon. That, combined with continued air support, has increased the containment and kept the fire from spreading.

No structures have been damaged, but two firefighters sprained their ankles while working on the steep terrain Friday.

Investigators are bringing in the state’s K9 fire investigator as they look for what started the fire, which was human caused, Tilley said.

—7:43 a.m. Saturday