The Stone Canyon fire, burning near Lyons, was 20% contained as of around 5 p.m. Thursday. The fire did not grow much overnight or during the day, and is still sitting at 1,548 acres.

Crews were able to contain the fire along the southeast corner, according to an update from Boulder Office of Disaster Management. 

As of just after 3 p.m., several more Lyons area neighborhoods were given the all clear, meaning people could return to their homes after being evacuated. These neighborhoods include Steamboat Valley and Stone Canyon. 

Bob Granger lives just north of downtown Lyons and said he saw the smoke on the ridgeline above their house before he got word that a fire had started near his family’s home.

Between Granger’s house, which sits at the edge of the neighborhood, and the ridge where there is now a fire scar and a large stain from fire slurry, there are several houses and some bush and trees, but not much else. 

When he first saw the smoke, he assumed it was from the Alexander Mountain fire, further north. 

Only when he watched it get darker and thicker did he realize this was a new fire, and it was dangerously close to home.

By the time Granger and his wife and son started packing cars to evacuate, they could see the flames up on the ridge. 

“At some point the flames were there, it wasn’t even smoke anymore, there were big (expletive) flames that we could see in broad daylight,” Granger said.

The family got to work filling the cars with sentimental items and items of value, Granger said, pointing to a car still full with his almost 10-year-old son’s Legos. 

“He’s right, Legos are really expensive and he takes good care of those things. They’re valuable,” Granger said. “We started pulling artwork my son has done off the walls. My wife is an artist, so we started pulling her artwork down, quilts my mom made for us, and we loaded all that stuff up and were just watching (the fire).”

While the situation was stressful and frustrating, Granger said there was never really a time when he and his family, or others in the neighborhood, seemed panicked or scared.

The people of Lyons are tough, he said, referring to a 2013 flood that devastated the town and to previous fires that have happened nearby. 

“People were pretty practical, I’d say,” he said, describing the neighborhood as people watched the flames from the street and packed their cars on Tuesday. “Everybody was kind of like ‘Yeah, here we go again’.”

Since the fire near Lyons did not see much growth Thursday, officials focused air support on other fires — like the Alexander Mountain fire near Loveland — that are still growing, according to an earlier update. 

One fire-related death was reported on Wednesday, officials said. No further deaths or injuries have been reported. 

The fire was first reported by Boulder Office of Disaster Management on social media at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.

By that evening, the fire had grown to about 1,320 acres and officials expressed concerns about fire growth through the evening, which was forecast to see less than favorable weather conditions, including high winds.

Throughout the day Wednesday, firefighters worked on the ground and in the air, dropping water and slurry on hot spots.

Around 10 a.m. Wednesday, an all clear was issued for northern and western parts of Lyons, telling people they could return to their homes after evacuation orders Tuesday night.

By Wednesday afternoon, more than 120 firefighters with 37 trucks were working on scene to manage the fire, which was 0% contained.

By Thursday evening, it was 20% contained, with the fire moving away from the town.