BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Boulder County Coroner's Office used "circumstantial evidence" to finally identify the person who died in the Stone Canyon Fire last July.
Tuesday's long-awaited identification comes more than 270 days after the fire started on July 30, 2024.
The remains are believed to be those of 74-year-old Kevin James Tracy, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said in a Tuesday afternoon update.
The sheriff's office said the coroner used "compelling circumstantial evidence" from law enforcement, the family of the deceased, area retailers, financial institutions and the U.S government to identify the man. Previously, the sheriff's office said they tried to locate a missing resident as they investigated the fatality in the wake of the fire, but could not confirm they were the same person.
"We will not automatically conclude that the missing male, and the unidentified person whose remains were found, are one in the same," the sheriff's office said in September 2024. "We will do our due diligence and use all scientific and investigative tools and resources available to us to positively confirm the identity of the remains... We know that the identification of the person who died in the fire, as well as the cause of the fire, are of great interest to the community, however, we will take all the time needed to ensure that we do not release incorrect information regarding an on-going investigation."
The remains were found in a single-family home at 2602 Eagle Ridge Road outside of Lyons in unincorporated Boulder County.
"Despite multiple attempts by various DNA analysis providers, no viable DNA samples could be obtained to confirm the identity of the remains," the sheriff's office said on Tuesday.
Based on their investigation, the Stone Canyon Fire originated from Tracy's residence on Eagle Ridge Road before spreading to nearby foliage.
"The structure fire investigation determined the fire originated inside or around the exterior of the residence or the adjacent shed," the sheriff's office said.
The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined. Lightning has been ruled out.
How the Stone Canyon Fire unfolded
Just before 2 p.m. on July 30, 2024, the initial reports of the Stone Canyon Fire began trickling in. It was burning west of Rabbit Mountain and northeast of Lyons.
Amid hot and dry conditions, the fire quickly grew to 1,320 acres by nightfall. Air support, which flew the fire during daylight, stopped until the following morning.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for the Town of Lyons, and the Blue Mountain and Spring Valley areas north of Lyons. The order covered hundreds of people.
The fire did not grow much after the initial burn on July 30. Throughout the next day, it moved slowly with little growth, according to the Boulder Office of Disaster Management. By the evening of July 31, it was estimated at 1,548 acres and increased from 0% that morning to 20% containment by the afternoon.
On July 31, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson confirmed that human remains were found in one of the five homes that were destroyed in the fire. No other details on the fatality were immediately available after the announcement. Four firefighters were also injured, according to a press release from FEMA.
The mandatory evacuations lifted on July 31 for the northern and western parts of the Town of Lyons — specifically the areas of Highway 36 north of Lyons to Apple Valley Road (North).
By the evening of Aug. 1, the fire had burned 1,553 acres and firefighters had reached 30% containment, which was mostly around the southeast edge of the fire. Because of this, fire officials were able to lift evacuation orders for the Steamboat Valley and Stone Canyon neighborhoods.
That same day, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deployed its certified fire investigators to the wildfire.
Containment increased to 53% around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 2.
The acreage of the fire remained the same and containment increased to 90% as of 6 p.m. on Aug. 3. All evacuation orders were lifted and roads that had been closed to the public were reopened, Incident Commander Nathan Hallam reported.
By the late morning of Aug. 4, fire officials provided the news that residents had been waiting for: the Stone Canyon Fire was fully contained.
In total, the Stone Canyon Fire burned 1,557 acres.
It started one day after the Alexander Mountain Fire broke out in Larimer County.
"The good news for us is that we were able to grab resources from Larimer County," Sheriff Johnson said after the fire was contained. "As soon as our fire kicked off, the Larimer sheriff was in contact with me, offered to send some of those air resources to this fire, and tried to help us get it under control. So, within an hour, we had a lot more support than we might on a normal initial fire because of the fire burning north of us."
FEMA authorized federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Stone Canyon Fire.
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