Breaking News illustration. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
On Wednesday, firefighters battled two separate fires in the foothills of Boulder County.
The Lake Shore Fire that sparked around 2:00 p.m. has destroyed at least two structures northwest of Gross Reservoir, ten miles from the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus.
In Lyons, the Stone Canyon Fire, which was first spotted on Tuesday afternoon, has led to one fatality so far and has damaged five structures. Additionally, two firefighters were injured and another two firefighters “had ailments as a result of just the environment, but not necessarily as a result of the fire,” according to Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson.
In addition to these fires, crews are also responding to two additional fires across the Denver metro area, the Alexander Fire in Loveland and the Quarry Fire in southwest Jefferson County.
Resources have been stretched thin with fire departments across the state spanning as far south as Pueblo responding to the fires.
Governor Jared Polis declared the fires a disaster in order to help provide support for fighting the fires. Additionally, Polis deployed state National Guard troops to assist firefighting personnel. This is the first time state National Guard personnel have been deployed to assist with Colorado fires since the Marshall Fire in 2021.
As of 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, the Stone Canyon fire is currently at 20% containment and the Lake Shore fire remains at 0% containment. Despite this, Johnson feels confident in the firefighter’s efforts to contain the blazes.
“We feel pretty good about where Stone Canyon [is] at,” Johnson said. “We also feel pretty good about where we’re at with Lake Shore right now.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Arts Editor Lincoln Roch at lincoln.roch@colorado.edu.
