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Tag: Quarry Fire

  • Meet Ash, Colorado’s canine trained to investigate wildfires

    Meet Ash, Colorado’s canine trained to investigate wildfires

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo — On or off the clock, 16-month-old Ash doesn’t stop sniffing out new smells.

    “If you and I made a pizza and we smell pizza, she would smell the oregano, the garlic, all the ingredients that make up that pizza, down to even the flour,” said Ash’s handler, Matt Morgan with Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention & Control.

    Ash is an ignitable liquids detection canine trained to sniff out the cause of fires across Colorado. She even has the badge to prove it.

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    “Any of your gasoline, diesel, lighter fluid, lamp oil, any of those things… she can detect and alert on,” said Morgan.

    Since July 1, Ash has been on the front lines of 12 fires, including the Quarry Fire. As soon as the area cools down, Morgan said Ash will get called in to start her work.

    The Labrador Retriever can differentiate between 12 different liquids. As soon as she picks up on a scent, she will sit and look at Morgan, pointing her nose exactly at the spot.

    “The bond is very strong,” said Morgan.

    Typically, Ash trains two hours a day. But the reward isn’t treats — it’s actually her kibble.

    As a food reward dog, she must work for her food. Morgan said any treat would distract her from detecting smells.

    “There’s no days off… even on the weekends,” said Morgan.

    Ash is also a trained therapy dog, helping families impacted by wildfires.

    Image (33).jpg

    Matt Morgan

    Ash as a puppy

    “She kind of de-escalates the situation just by her presence,” explained Morgan.

    For departments across the state that don’t have the manpower to investigate wildfires, Morgan said Ash does just the trick.

    “She’s a resource and a tool,” he said.

    The only drawback, Morgan said, is after a long day at work, he owes Ash a full spa treatment.

    “We’re in black fire scenes all the time, so the presence of soot and everything else getting on their fur is very difficult to clean up and keep clean,” laughed Morgan.

    Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos

    At Denver7, we’re committed to making a difference in our community. We’re standing up for what’s right by listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the featured videos in the playlist above.

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  • Quarry Fire is now an arson investigation, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office confirms Friday

    Quarry Fire is now an arson investigation, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office confirms Friday

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — There is now an active arson investigation underway into the Quarry Fire, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed during its Friday morning news conference.

    Kevin Bost, the chief of investigations with the Jeffco sheriff, said elaborated on the point of origin for the Quarry Fire. It’s on “Deer Creek above Grizzly in the switchback area,” Bost said.

    He clarified that the reason there is now an arson investigation underway is because the Jeffco sheriff’s office believes the Quarry Fire is “human caused in some manner.”

    Bost called it a sensitive investigation, and said he could not share any further details at this time.

    Jeffco sheriff’s office confirms Friday Quarry Fire is now an arson investigation

    informed sources told Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski on Thursday that fire investigators found some “weird items” at what theyconfirmed to be the source of the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County.

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    ‘Weird items’ found at origin of Quarry Fire, source tell Denver7 Investigates

    The Quarry Fire was first reported Tuesday night and remains at 0% containment as of Friday morning, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

    The fire did grow 100 acres overnight, but the Jeffco sheriff’s office said Friday that it moved toward an area with no homes.

    The firefighting crew now stands at 185 people with another hotshot team arriving, according to Mark Techmeyer, the public affairs manager for the Jeffco sheriff’s office. There are now 40 hotshot firefighters on the ground battling the Quarry Fire, Techmeyer said.

    “We have 20-year firefighters who are saying, ‘I’ve never worked in terrain like this,’” Techmeyer said during Friday’s news conference.

    Techmeyer said there would only be three helicopters fighting the fire from the air Friday.

    Chatfield Reservoir will be open to boating and water recreation Friday, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region.

    “Quarry Fire operations with the belly planes has finished. Helicopters may still be in the area, but they can work around the boats,” CPW said.

    The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will hold another news conference Friday at 2 p.m. to provide another update on the status of the Quarry Fire.

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    Katie Parkins

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  • ‘We’re going to be on this a while’: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says Quarry Fire is tough to fight

    ‘We’re going to be on this a while’: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says Quarry Fire is tough to fight

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that the Quarry Fire is “just different” — the terrain is rocky, loose and tough for crews to navigate.

    The area has dense vegeetation, including timber and scrub oak, which the Jeffco sheriff’s office said has been observed burning up to 50 feet high.

    “I would be surprised if we put a ‘done’ sign on this thing in two days. No. That’s not going to happen. We’re going to be on this a while,” Mark Techmeyer, the director of public affairs for the Jeffco sheriff, said.

    However, the good news is — the fire did not grow overnight Wednesday. It remains at 341 acres, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. While temperatures are forecasted in the 90s Thursday, Jefferson County crews are hopeful the humidity rising may be helpful for keeping the fire from spreading.

    Jeffco Sheriff’s Office provides Thursday morning update on Quarry Fire

    San Juan hotshot crews arrived and started work on the fire Thursday, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning news conference.

    “They’re like the SWAT team of firefighters,” Techmeyer said. “They take care of tough situations.”

    Stacey Martin, the public information officer, said the hotshot crews train for this kind of assignment year-round. About 75 firefighters total are on the ground Thursday, according to the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office. There’s one helicopter and large air tanker working on tamping down the fire from the air.

    The focus Thursday is to keep the fire from jumping to the north side of Deer Creek Canyon Road.

    “That would be the worst case scenario,” Techmeyer said. “We don’t anticipate that to happen. Our number one goal is not to let that happen.”

    There are limited resources available, though, due to all the other active wildfires in Colorado and in California, the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

    Of the resources that are available to fight the Quarry Fire, Techmeyer said five firefighters were hospitalized Wednesday — four experienced heat exhaustion and the fifth had a seizure. Three of the four who had heat exhaustion were back on the job Thursday, according to Techmeyer.

    “The morale is ‘let’s go to war,’” Techmeyer said.

    While rattlesnakes are active in the area this time of year, Techmeyer said he has not heard any reports of a firefighter encountering one during their time working to contain the blaze.

    “They are aware of a fire just like we are and they run,”

    The Quarry Fire remains at 0% containment after it was first detected around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30. It was spotted by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy doing his regular patrol in the area at about 9 p.m. Tuesday when he came across a small 10×10 spot fire which grew to 100 acres within about three hours.

    The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

    “Everyone should be worried right now. There’s a huge fire that’s difficult to fight in our community. Not being worried would be the concern,” Techmeyer said.

    Wildfire

    Quarry Fire grows to 341 acres west of Ken Caryl, hundreds evacuated

    575 homes have been evacuated across five subdivisions, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

    Techmyer reassured people who have evacuated their homes that sheriff’s deputies are patrolling the area both night and day.

    “There’s no burglaries going on,” Techmeyer said.

    Road closures remain in place for South Valley Road and Deer Creek Canyon Road. South Cougar Road, Pleasant Road, West Ranch Trail and Keuster Road are also closed.

    A map of the area under alert can be viewed here.

    Those looking to recreate should look elsewhere outside of Jefferson County as Chatfield State Park is closed due to the fire, CPW posted on X.

    In Jefferson County, the Lookout Alert emergency notification system is used to citizens with warnings of flood, fire, tornadoes, chemical spills or dangerous suspects. Lookout Alert is free for all residents. Click here to sign up.

    The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is expected to have another press conference to provide a new update on the Quarry Fire Thursday afternoon.

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    Katie Parkins

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