Real-time updates: Colorado’s Stone Canyon wildfire near Lyons
On Tuesday, reports of a wildfire in Boulder County prompted road closures and evacuations. The estimated size of the fire as of Tuesday night was 1,320 acres with 0% containment.
Officially known as the Stone Canyon Fire, it started in an area north of Lyons on Tuesday afternoon.
Due to the fire, evacuations have been required. This covers a large area north of Lyons, including the neighborhood of Eagle Ridge. Two buildings were gone as of Tuesday night.
The evacuation zones for both this fire and the nearby Alexander Mountain Fire are depicted on the map below.
At least two homes have been damaged by a new wildfire on Colorado’s Front Range, and parts of the town of Lyons as well as rural regions to the north are under evacuation orders. The Eagle Ridge region is home to the wildfire known as the Stone Canyon Fire.
According to Boulder County officials, the fire has spread to 1,320 acres as of 9 p.m. Additionally, the evacuation zone has grown due to changing winds.
Tuesday about 2:00 p.m., and for several hours later, Eagle Ridge and Stone Mountain were the source of a thick column of gray and black smoke.
Soon after, planes began dropping slurry on the fire as aerial resources were promptly called for the incident. These resources were somewhat redirected from the Monday-started Alexander Mountain Fire. About one hundred persons were involved in the firefight on Tuesday night.
One house on the mountainside was on fire when the fire first broke out, according to footage captured by CBS Colorado’s news helicopter. There was at least one additional neighboring residence that looked to be in danger from the fire.
Boulder County officials stated in a news release on Tuesday night that “efforts remain focused on life safety and firefighting efforts, so the final determination of the number of impacted structures is still to be determined.”
At 1:53 p.m., the first evacuation order was issued. By 5 p.m., the evacuation zone had expanded considerably to encompass all residences in the Town of Lyons east of 5th Avenue and north of Main Street, as well as the vicinity of Indian Mountain and the Alexander Mountain Fire evacuation zones.
North of Highway 36, all roads are closed. Both the westbound lanes from Highway 66 heading into Lyons and the westbound lanes from Highway 36 coming into Lyons were closed. These closures were necessary to make room for the safe entry of firefighting apparatus to aid in the battle against the fire.
Boulder County and Larimer County land are included in the evacuation zone. You may find more details about the evacuation zone at www.BOCO911Alert.org.
There is an evacuation center available for impacted people at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, located at 9595 Nelson Road, in the Exhibit Building. Large animals are now to be evacuated by their owners, who are urged to transport them to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden.
About eight miles to the south of the massive Alexander Mountain Fire is where the wildfire is currently burning. There are mandatory evacuations in place due to the fire, which is located west of Loveland, and Highway 34 is closed through Big Thompson Canyon.
The origin of the Stone Canyon Fire remains unknown at this day. Additionally, there have been no reports of injuries.
You may also find an interactive map of wildfires in the United States made by CBS News here.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Vinnie Montez stated in a video shared on social media, “There’s no time for burning, let’s just be honest, no burning at all today.” “Just be mindful of your surroundings; there is an active fire in Larimer County right now, and many resources are up there. It’s really important.”
Beginning on Monday morning, just west of Loveland, the Alexander Mountain fire spread to more than 3,500 acres by Tuesday afternoon, forcing numerous evacuation orders.
On Tuesday, the northern Front Range is seeing temperatures around to 100 degrees, with winds gusting above 25 mph and humidity levels below 10%.
The source of this tale is ColoradoSun.com.
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