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Updated 7:35 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024
The Quarry fire is covering an estimated 341 acres — or roughly half a square mile — in southern Jefferson County. It was not contained as of Thursday morning, but Mark Techmeyer with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the fire did not grow much overnight.
The top priority is preventing the fire from jumping Deer Creek Canyon, Techmeyer said at a press briefing Thursday. FEMA has also authorized funding to help with firefighting costs in Jefferson County.
"That cannot happen," he said.
- The Quarry fire threatened homes, but no injuries or major damage has been reported. Five firefighters were injured Wednesday. One had a seizure and four others suffered heat exhaustion, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
- Investigators are still probing the cause of the fire, which was first reported by a deputy on patrol.
- Nearly 600 homes across five subdivisions have been evacuated, including Deer Creek, Mesa, Sampson, Maxwell, McKinney and Murphy
- On Thursday, Techmeyer said residents in the Hilldale Pines, Oehlmann Park, Silver Ranch and Silver Ranch South neighborhoods should be prepared to evacuate if the fire spreads. West Ranch was added to the last Thursday afternoon.
- About 75 firefighters worked to control the fire Wednesday across steep, rocky terrain, the Sheriff’s Office said. Crews fought the fire on the ground and called in air drops from aircraft, but authorities said resources were limited due to the other fires burning across the northern Front Range.
During an afternoon press conference Thursday, Techmeyer emphasized the difficult nature of the fire. Firefighters are traversing difficult terrain in extremely hot conditions.
"We're in for a long battle," he said. "What's [the definition of] long? We don't know."
Evacuation information
- An evacuation center has been set up at Dakota Ridge High School at 13399 W. Coal Mine Ave. in Littleton.
- Residents can take large animals to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 15200 W. 6th Ave. in Golden.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday afternoon that federal funds will be provided to cover much of the firefighting cost at Stone Canyon and other wildfires burning in the northern Front Range.
The National Weather Service expects warm, dry conditions to continue Thursday, with elevated wildfire conditions in many areas. Skies across the northern Front Range will likely be hazy due to wildfire smoke, which prompted state health officials to issue an air quality alert for the region.
Residents of the nearly 600 homes evacuated opted for other shelter, not the designated evacuation center
Bruce West and Connie Anest sat in the bed of their pickup Tuesday morning, sipping their morning cups of coffee as their dogs, Maggie and Linus, ate breakfast. Both 30-year residents of Murphy Gulch, a neighborhood on the north end of the fire, said Wednesday was the first time in their lives they had to evacuate.
“We got everything ready when we were on standby and there's a bin somewhere, but we were told to leave now, so we did and just got the essentials,” Anest said. “I got my crate that's filled with my important papers, like birth certificates and social security and all of that.”
While the pair acknowledged the stress of the evacuation, they described their situation as an “adventure for old retired people that are getting boring lives.” Yesterday, they took their dogs to the mountains to get away from the smoke and the heat.
West and Anest spent the night sleeping in their cars in the parking lot of Dakota Ridge High School. While they had offers to stay with friends and family, they opted to stay right outside the evacuation center.
“It's like you can't get a hotel and be treated this nicely,” West said.
Just a handful of people stayed overnight at the shelter and its parking lot, according to Kim Mailes, a public affairs manager for the American Red Cross. He said more people have come and gone from the shelter after getting what they needed.
“We also provide food and snacks,” Mailes said. “We have spiritual care volunteers that are here with the American Red Cross, along with health services and mental health people that are here to help people with the trauma that they're experiencing. So we're providing for everyone that we can as they're displaced from their homes during this wildfire disaster.”
As Jefferson County officials prepare for the fire and response to continue for the foreseeable future, Mailes said the Red Cross is prepared to move the shelter to a new location in case evacuations overlap with the start of the new school year in two weeks.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
