JEFFERSON COUNTY — The Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District reported that as of Friday morning at 6:40 a.m., the Deer Creek Canyon Park Fire burning in Jefferson County is now 50% contained.
Friday morning's conditions are better suited for firefighting than Thursday evening, they said, but that could change as the temperatures warm and humidity decreases. The fire forced 328 homes to evacuate when it started Thursday evening.
Firefighters said no homes or structures have been lost to the fire, which was estimated to be 13.5 acres as of Thursday.
The first batch of citizens were evacuated just before 5:30 p.m. as the fire burned near the bottom of Deer Creek Park, near Grizzly Drive and Bear Claw Drives. Deer Creek Canyon Park, South Valley and Hildebrand Ranch parks were all closed and an emergency alert was sent to people in the area to evacuate via Cougar Drive, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Just before 8:30 p.m., a second evacuation order was issued for people living along Samson Road, Mill Hollow Road, Sunburst and Hunter’s Ridge. The sheriff’s office urged residents in those areas to leave their homes immediately as the blaze was not yet contained or controlled, according to fire officials.
Evacuees can go to the Ken Caryl Ranch House, located at 767 S. Continental Divide Road in Littleton. Residents with large animals are told to go to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
A total of five agencies were assisting the fire protection district to put out the wildlife, the fire protection district official said. More than 100 firefighters are fighting the blaze, which is being called a "dirty burn" with lots of unburned fuel inside the fire area.
