Firefighters battling three wildfires along Colorado’s Front Range continued to make significant gains in containment Sunday as more mandatory evacuation orders were lifted across Larimer, Boulder and Jefferson counties.

The Alexander Mountain, Stone Canyon and Quarry fires have burned nearly 12,000 acres, forced thousands of people to evacuate, damaged or destroyed 51 structures and killed one person over the last week.

But fire officials on Sunday spoke optimistically about firefighting efforts and the days ahead.

The Stone Canyon fire burning north of Lyons reached 100% containment Sunday night and Boulder County officials lifted all evacuation orders for people living near the 1,557-acre blaze.

The fire, which killed one person and destroyed five homes since it started burning Tuesday, is being investigated as arson.

Containment on the 472-acre Quarry fire burning near Deer Creek Canyon increased to 35% on Sunday, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mark Techmeyer said at an afternoon briefing.

The fire, which forced nearly 600 homes to evacuate after it started burning late Tuesday night, has not destroyed any structures.

Fire crews are focused on proactive burning along the fire’s western edge to increase containment, Techmeyer said. There will be planned power outages in the mandatory evacuation area Monday as part of that effort.

Scattered showers on Sunday did not make an impact on the fire but provided a much-needed morale boost for the 190 firefighters on the ground, Techmeyer said. Most of the personnel on the fire are volunteers, he said.

“We’re really happy (with) where we are,” Techmeyer said. “It was a whole different situation on Wednesday and Thursday. Everything has worked out in our favor, and we’re going to get this thing done.”

Techmeyer did not release any additional details about the arson investigation.

“There’s nothing I can share, but we’re working on it,” he said. “We want this person as bad as everyone.”

Jefferson County officials hope the remaining mandatory evacuations will be lifted in the next few days, Techmeyer said.

More than 500 firefighters battling the Alexander Mountain fire 10 miles west of Loveland gained 54% containment on the 9,668-acre fire as of Sunday afternoon, county and federal officials said in a briefing.

Damage assessment teams finished surveying burned areas this weekend and found 26 homes and 21 outbuildings destroyed, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said at the briefing. Four homes sustained minor damage in the fire.

It’s possible more structures were damaged or destroyed that county officials don’t know about yet, Feyen said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Investigative teams this weekend found signs of human activity and multiple lightning strikes where the fire started, Feyen said.

Larimer County officials lifted more mandatory evacuation orders Sunday morning and will meet with people at evacuation centers to verify addresses and distribute credentials so residents can return to their neighborhoods this week.

U.S. 34 will likely remain closed for another week so utility crews can repair infrastructure, Feyen said.

More than 1,000 contacts are still on mandatory evacuation status, Feyen said. Households often have multiple contacts.

The Alexander Mountain fire is contained on the eastern and southern edges, and fire officials attributed the containment gains to good decisions by fire crews and an influx in resources.

“We asked for the resources, it took them a little while to get there but because of the threat, because of the values around this fire, we were able to get what we needed,” said Southwest Area 1 Incident Commander Carl Schwope.

“Right now we’re at a good place for resources and that’s why you see the progress that you see, a lot of good folks doing a lot of hard work,” he added.

Some resources will likely start being released to respond to more critical fires in the coming days, Schwope said.

Crews fighting wildfires on Colorado’s Western Slope also saw containment gains this weekend, with the 193-acre Currant Creek fire burning near Cedaredge and the Grand Mesa in Delta County fully contained on Saturday.

The Bucktail fire burning across 3,515 acres northeast of Nucla in Montrose County was 5% contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to fire officials.

No structures are threatened and no evacuations are in effect, though the fire has shown “very high spread potential and is exhibiting active to extreme fire behavior,” fire officials said in an update.

After four days of battling the Quarry Fire in extreme heat, and on extreme terrain among rattlesnakes, bears and mountain lions, firefighters and evacuated residents finally had something to cheer about.

Residents in some neighborhoods were allowed to return to their homes Saturday night, which took a minute to sink in for those who first heard the news.

“I’m not hearing a single, excited ‘yay,’” Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, said in a moment of levity before a crowd in front of him laughed and cheered. “That’s progress, right?”

He announced Saturday afternoon that people living in the Deer Creek Mesa and Kuehster subdivisions could return home because the sheriff’s office moved those communities from mandatory evacuation to pre-evacuation status. Residents flocked to the evacuation center at Dakota Ridge High School to verify their addresses and get badges that would allow them to return back home.

Saturday evening was Catherine and Roger Flahive’s first time out of the evacuation zone in days. They decided to stay at their home while the fire burned and only left because they needed to get groceries now that they knew they could get back in. They say they had a front-row seat to all the effort firefighters put into saving homes and controlling the fire.

“It was incredible watching the aircraft, the helicopters, the planes, splash water on the fire and so it was really cool,” said Catherine Flahive.

Thanks to all that hard work, the fire is now 20% contained.

“We’re getting to the point where we’re not running from the fire, but we’re taking control of the fire,” said Techmeyer.

He cautions the fight is far from over and sheriff’s deputies say returning residents should stay ready to leave if they must. But after the week they’ve had in Deer Creek Canyon, any progress is a reason for celebration.

“I’m very, very optimistic about where we are,” said Techmeyer.

You will not get into the pre-evacuation zones of the Quarry Fire without a badge so if you are a resident, you can get one at Dakota Ridge High School on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

To celebrate the Centennial State’s 148^th birthday, all Colorado state parks — including Lake Pueblo, the state’s most visited park each year — will be free to enter Aug. 5, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Every year on Aug. 1, the state recognizes its 1876 founding with Colorado Day. CPW does its part to provide picturesque backdrops for the festivities, albeit a few days after the fact, by offering free entry to all state parks on the first Monday of each August.

“This free entry day is an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty of Colorado state parks and their diverse landscapes,” CPW officials said in a July 31 news release.

While park admission is free, all other park fees — including camping reservations, boat and off-highway vehicle registrations, and hunting and fishing licenses — remain in effect.

Here are some things to know about Colorado Day and what to know before you head to a Colorado state park to celebrate.

What is Colorado Day?

Colorado Day marks the anniversary of Colorado joining the United States.

It officially became the 38^th state in the Union on Aug. 1, 1876, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the proclamation granting its statehood.

How did Colorado get its name? And why is it the Centennial State?

Colorado’s state name originates from the Spanish word for “colored red.” The name was chosen for Colorado as a Territory in 1861 by Congress, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia.

The state got its moniker as the Centennial State because it became a state in 1876, 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Another name often associated with the state is “Colorful Colorado,” likely due to its picturesque combination of mountains, rivers and plains, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia.

Heading to a state park on Aug. 5? Here’s what to know before you go

Colorado is well known for its natural beauty, and CPW officials urge Coloradans to protect its exquisite outdoor amenities and “act as stewards of the state’s land, wildlife, and water.”

“By balancing outdoor recreation with mindful conservation, we can all protect Colorado’s natural beauty,” CPW officials said in the release.

What to know before you go

Be safe on the water

As of July 15, Colorado was on track to surpass its record high for water-related fatalities, when 42 such deaths occurred on Colorado water bodies. CPW officials urge all water recreators to remember that life jackets save lives, and the majority of water-related deaths occur because people do not wear them.

Be careful with fire

Colorado is currently experiencing wildfires across multiple Front Range and Western Slope counties. Fire safety is a state-wide effort, and CPW encourages state park visitors to always practice fire safety.

• Check fire restrictions or bans at coemergency.com

• Download the free Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app for wildfire alerts

• Drown fires out with water until you can touch the embers

• Never leave a fire unattended

• Avoid parking or driving on dry grass

• Check your tire pressure, exhaust pipes, and whether chains or exposed wheel rims are dragging from your vehicle, which may create sparks.

Keep wildlife wild

More on Lake Pueblo: Your 2024 guide of things to do at Lake Pueblo State Park this spring and summer

Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Lake Pueblo State Park is free to enter Aug. 5. Here’s why