Quarry fire is being investigated as arson

Colorado wildfire updates for Friday, Aug. 2, 2024

One of the multiple fires burning along Colorado’s Front Range this week — the Quarry fire in Jefferson County, just west of Denver — is now being investigated as arson, law enforcement officials announced Friday morning.

This week’s wildfires have killed one person, damaged or destroyed at least 30 buildings, prompted the evacuation of thousands of people along the Front Range and triggered Gov. Jared Polis to deploy the Colorado National Guard.

Fire crews in Boulder County extinguished the small, multi-acre Lake Shore fire on Thursday, but another wildfire sparked in western Colorado — near Nucla — just hours later.

All four major fires currently burning — the Quarry fire in Jefferson County, the Alexander Mountain fire in Larimer County, the Stone Canyon fire in Boulder and Larimer counties and the Bucktail fire in Montrose County — began this week and grew rapidly, fueled by hot, dry weather and arid conditions on the ground.

Click here to skip to a specific fire: Quarry fire | Alexander Mountain fire | Stone Canyon fire | Bucktail fire | Wildfire map

Quarry fire near Deer Creek Canyon

• Access the latest evacuation map here

Last updated at 8:25 a.m.

The Quarry fire burning on more than 400 acres of land in Jefferson County is being investigated as arson, sheriff’s officials announced Friday.

In a Friday morning briefing, investigators said the fire sparked in Deer Creek Canyon Park above Grizzly Drive where the trail has multiple switchbacks.

Kevin Bost, division chief for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s criminal investigations division, said investigators are conducting an arson investigation.

“The reason it’s an arson investigation is that we preliminarily believe that this fire is human-caused in some manner,” Bost said.

Officials declined to release any other information about the arson investigation or whether they’d identified any suspects.

While the fire did not grow overnight Thursday, hot and dry conditions Friday — alongside the potential for afternoon storms with wind and lightning — may revive the fire’s growth, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Karlyn Tilley said.

As of Friday, the suspected human-caused fire was burning on 450 acres of land and firefighters had made no progress in efforts to contain the blaze, Tilley said in a morning briefing.

According to Tilley, the small growth firefighters saw overnight Thursday was not toward any homes and the fire was still burning about a quarter-mile from the nearest house — located in the Deer Creek Mesa subdivision.

Three helicopters and two planes dropped water and fire retardant on the blaze throughout the day Thursday, and 185 firefighters were working on the ground to fight the flames Friday.

That includes two hotshot crews — groups of highly experienced, specialized firefighters that train year-round to fight fires on tough terrain — according to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mark Techmeyer.

Ground crews are working Friday to dig a trench around the fire — by hand along the east side, and by bulldozer along the south and west sides — Techmeyer said.

The Deer Creek Mesa, Kuehster, McKinney Ranch, Murphy Gulch, Sampson and Maxwell areas remain under mandatory evacuation Friday, according to the county’s evacuation map.

The Hilldale Pines, Oehlmann Park, Silver Ranch, West Ranch, Homestead and Silver Ranch South neighborhoods are on pre-evacuation notice.

Deer Creek Canyon Park, South Valley Park, Hildebrand Ranch Park and Reynolds Park are closed until further notice because of firefighting operations, county open space officials said.

The wildfire was discovered by a sheriff’s deputy around 9 p.m. Tuesday and charred hundreds of acres in less than an hour as it rapidly grew.

Alexander Mountain fire near Loveland

• Access the latest evacuation map here

Last updated at 9 a.m.

The Alexander Mountain fire is now burning on more than 9,000 acres of land west of Loveland and was 5% contained Friday morning.

As of Friday, the 9,194-acre blaze had damaged or destroyed at least 24 homes and buildings as it burned across Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and private land about 10 miles west of Loveland.

Larimer County officials were able to enter several neighborhoods Thursday and confirmed at least two dozen structures — a combination of homes and outbuildings — in the Palisade Mountain Drive and Snow Top Drive areas were damaged or destroyed by the fire.

It’s historically been very difficult to identify the correct homeowners in a wildfire, sheriff’s office Capt. Tim Keeton said. Anyone who believes their home has been affected should call the sheriff’s office at 970-980-2800.

“We’re aware of potential for incoming thunderstorms which could cause wind shifts,” fire officials said in a Friday morning update. “Firefighters will be focusing on maintaining lines, managing their safety and the safety of the community.”

As of Friday morning, 327 firefighters were battling the fire, focusing on protecting the communities of Cedar Park and Storm Mountain along with homes and critical infrastructure along U.S. 34.

The land south of U.S. 34 has more timber and fuel for the fire to burn, and there will be more long-term consequences if the fire crosses the highway, according to fire officials.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the cause and origin of the fire can call the Forest Service Law Enforcement Tip Line at 303-275-5266.

Stone Canyon fire near Lyons

• Access the latest evacuation map here

Last updated at 9:25 a.m.