LYONS, Colo. — A Colorado community that's no stranger to disaster is getting some reprieve as crews make progress on a nearby wildfire.
Evacuations are starting to lift for some of the fires across the Front Range, including the Stone Canyon Fire that started burning Tuesday north of Lyons. Folks living in that town are starting to breathe a little easier.
“Things are feeling good right now, progress has been made," said Lyons Mayor Hollie Rogin on Friday night. "More people are being let home, which is what we want to see."
The Stone Canyon fire is burning outside of town limits, in greater Boulder County, where it has destroyed five homes and killed one person. Officials said the slow-moving fire, which has burned more than 1,500 acres, was 53% contained as of Friday.
“The town has been on pins and needles. We’re so, so grateful to firefighters first of all," Rogin said. "We had 250 at one point in our little town of 2,200 people — that's a lot.”
Lyons may be small in size, but the town is big on community. Rogin said people worked together and stayed calm during evacuations. As people have returned to their homes, they are looking forward, planning fundraisers and looking for other ways to support each other.
Local residents helped provide shower towels for visiting firefighters who didn’t have enough. Rogin said locals also filled three pick-up trucks with supplies — snacks, toiletries, and more — to support crews through a tough week.
Lyons leans on the experience that guided the town through past disasters, like the deadly 2013 flood.
“As a town government, we unfortunately have a lot of experience managing disaster,” Rogin said. “As a community, you've seen bumper stickers that say, ‘We have grit.’ Well, we do. We haven’t lost it. We add grace and gratitude to that – we just help each other out as much as we can.”
A town's resilience is being tested, once again.
“It doesn't come without cost. It’s hard,” Rogin said. “We know how to band together, so that's what we do.”