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07_31_2024am headlines Greta Kerkhoff
Alexander Mountain, Stone Canyon, and Quarry fires burn across state
Three fires are currently blazing in the Denver Metro Area – all of which began over the past four days.
The first fire began two days ago in Loveland. It’s been deemed the Alexander Mountain Fire.
The fire has burned more than 5,080 acres and is 0% contained as of yesterday evening at 8:30 p.m. That’s according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s office.
The latest mandatory evacuation orders for the Alexander Mountain fire include:
- The north side of Carter Lake, north to Highway 34. This area was initially under a voluntary evacuation order, but has been upgraded to a mandatory evacuation.
The second fire, called the Stone Canyon Fire, began yesterday afternoon in a neighborhood north of Lyons. As of 9:00 p.m. yesterday evening, the fire had grown to 1,320 acres. The containment remains at 0%. At least two structures have been recorded to be destroyed.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council have issued an air quality alert for Boulder County. The alert will remain in effect until at least 4 p.m. today.
The U.S. Forest Service issued a Temporary Flight Restriction last night over the Stone Canyon Fire, which includes a 4 mile radius around the Town of Lyons.
At a press conference yesterday, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said they were able to use resources from the Alexander Mountain Fire in the initial fire fighting efforts.
Mandatory evacuations for the Stone Canyon Fire include:
- Blue Mountain and Spring Valley area north of Lyons.
- Areas north of Broadway and east of 5th Avenue.
The fire has also led to road closures, including:
- N 53rd St in Lyons, closed north of Hwy 66
- County Rd. 37E
- Blue Mountain Road
And finally, the third fire kickstarted just before midnight last night, when sheriff’s officials announced mandatory evacuations for hundreds of Jefferson County residents.
The Quarry fire was burning on 100 acres of land just west of Grizzly Drive as of 1 a.m. this morning, and is still growing near JeffCo’s Deer Creek Canyon.
Mandatory evacuations for the Quarry fire include:
- Deer Creek Mesa
- Sampson and Maxwell subdivisions southwest of Ken Caryl
For a full list of mandatory evacuation zones head to nocoalert.org. For road closures, go to boulderodm.gov.
You can also text LCEVAC to 888777 for updates.
$450 million for water conservation
State officials have finally learned which projects are eligible for a massive influx of funding for water conservation projects.
The $450 million is part of the federal government’s plan to address the impacts of drought in the Colorado River Basin and is heading to Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah. The region supplies water to over 40 million people, and has been affected by drought in recent years.
According to the Colorado Sun, a second application period for projects opens later this year, and will focus on long-term water conservation efforts.
The funding minimum is $300,000 and organizations will have five years to spend the money.
Some potential permitted uses of the funding include building artificial beaver dams, which slow the speed of water and restore wetland ecosystems, and downstream projects, like improvements for irrigation infrastructure.
While most grant programs require applicants to come up with matching funds, the incoming funds do not. The Sun says this makes them more accessible to small and rural organizations.
Funding announcements are expected in spring 2025.
New regulations for coroners
Colorado coroners will be subject to new regulations starting August 7.
A pair of new laws will strengthen standards for so-called “tissue banks,” or businesses that keep dead bodies until cremation or burial.
Currently, county coroners in the state only need to be residents of the county they serve and have a high school diploma or college degree.
House Bill 1254 establishes requirements for maintaining records and proper chain of custody for human remains.
House Bill 1100 requires county coroners in counties with a population of over 150,000 to either be certified by—and in good standing with—the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators or the American Board of Pathology. That’s according to Colorado Politics.
The bills come in the wake of an October 2023 police investigation into the Return to Nature funeral home in Penrose, Colorado. Police responded to reports of a foul, rotting odor at the funeral home and discovered almost 200 bodies, in various states of decomposition. An investigation is ongoing.
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