Some Colorado residents displaced by Quarry Fire get cleared to return home

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.