Photo: The Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland grew to over 5,000 acres in size on Tuesday. Courtesy Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
This story by Chase Woodruff appeared on Colorado Newsline on July 31, 2024.
A fast-growing overnight wildfire on the southwest edge of the Denver metro area is the latest of three fires prompting evacuations and emergency responses along the Front Range this week.
Approximately 575 homes in south Jefferson County were under mandatory evacuation orders early Wednesday morning due to the Quarry Fire, which grew overnight to roughly 130 acres after first being spotted around 9 p.m. Tuesday near Deer Creek Canyon Park.
Mark Techmeyer, public affairs director for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said in a press conference that the fire is burning in a “very populated area that is mountainous and steep, and full of scrub brush, and really hard to navigate on foot.”
As of Wednesday morning, no structures had been lost and no injuries had been reported.
The area currently under evacuation orders includes the Deer Creek Mesa, Sampson, Maxwell, Murphy and McKinney subdivisions. A helicopter was due to conduct reconnaissance of the burn area Wednesday, but crews assigned to the fire didn’t know yet whether aerial firefighting resources will be diverted to the Quarry Fire from other fires burning to the north.
“We all know that we have two other major fires going on in our state, so resources are thin,” he said. “We still only have (an) estimated about 70 to 80 boots on the ground to fight this fire today.”
Alexander Mountain Fire
The Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland has grown to over 5,000 acres since first being reported Monday. The U.S. Forest Service has assumed command of firefighting operations from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, and no containment of the fire had been achieved as of late Tuesday.
A large area in the foothills west of Loveland extending south to Carter Lake and the town of Lyons is under a mandatory evacuation order.
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday verbally issued disaster emergency declarations in response to the Alexander Mountain Fire and other fires burning in the state. Colorado has invested tens of millions of dollars in recent years to expand state-controlled firefighting resources, including a $30 million Firehawk helicopter and other aircraft.
“We are working to ensure that Coloradans impacted by these fires have the resources they need and we are providing critical state support to help manage and contain these fires as quickly as possible to protect our communities and prevent costly damage,” said Polis, who was scheduled to visit first responders assigned to the Alexander Mountain Fire in Loveland on Wednesday morning, alongside U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette and Colorado Public Safety Director Stan Hilkey.
Evacuation centers for those displaced by the fire are open in Loveland and Estes Park, along with a large animal evacuation center in Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley.
“As we continue coordinating land and air resources, our community can trust that hundreds of public safety professionals are working hard to protect their families,” Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said in an update Tuesday.
Stone Canyon Fire
The Stone Canyon Fire near Lyons was estimated at 1,320 acres in size as of Tuesday evening, according to the Boulder County Office of Disaster Management. Two structures have been lost in the fire, which was first reported midday Tuesday.
Areas under mandatory evacuation orders due to the Stone Canyon Fire, which overlap with evacuation orders for the Alexander Mountain Fire to the north, include parts of Lyons north of U.S. 36.
Heavy smoke from the fires is likely to contribute to unhealthy air quality levels across the Front Range urban corridor, state officials wrote in an advisory.
“Warm and stagnant weather combined with increasing amounts of both local and out-of-state wildfire smoke will result in ozone and fine particulate matter concentrations possibly reaching Unhealthy levels for air quality on Wednesday,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment wrote. “Expect locally heavy smoke in areas near the Alexander Mountain and Stone (Canyon) wildfires, including Loveland, Lyons, and Longmont.”