One dead as wildfires threaten Denver metro area

A person was killed in one of several wildfires threatening heavily populated areas of the Colorado foothills, authorities said Wednesday, as almost 100 large blazes burned across the western U.S.

The death came in a fire near the town of Lyons that blackened more than two square miles by Wednesday afternoon. The person’s remains were discovered in one of five homes that burned, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said.

Listed as zero percent contained, the Stone Canyon Fire was not growing significantly Wednesday as 150 firefighters battled the flames, Johnson said. It was one of several large fires burning along Colorado’s Front Range, a densely populated corridor that includes Denver and stretches roughly 80 miles along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains.

A fire at the edge of the Denver metro area west of the small town of Conifer triggered evacuation orders for about 575 houses from several subdivisions overnight Tuesday. That fire was less than one square mile as of midday Wednesday but was expected to grow with temperatures forecast to reach nearly 100 degrees.

Yet another fire ignited Wednesday afternoon and prompted evacuation orders southwest of Boulder in the Gross Reservoir area. Two structures burned — at least one of them a house — and two firefighters suffered unspecified injuries.

The fire was human-caused and authorities were talking to two people who may have been involved, Sheriff Johnson said, adding it did not appear intentional. The fire was held to about five acres by Wednesday evening.

Hot, dry weather and wind gusts of up to 30 mph were expected Wednesday across the Front Range, elevating the fire danger. Forecasters said the high temperatures were expected to persist into early next week but lighter winds in coming days could make it easier to control the blazes.

Colorado National Guard units were activated to help, Gov. Jared Polis said during a news conference in Loveland. He said it’s the first use of the guard in such fashion since a December 2021 fire killed two people and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes in heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder.




(AP Photo David Zalubowski)