admin January 21, 20252025 Incidents, Home, January 2025 Engine 13 arrived to a two-story single-family residential with smoke in the area pulled a 1 3/4 and started fire attack and search with Medic 13 Crews found fire showing from the basement area and a second line was pulled District 3 arrived and assumed command on the Alpha side in the offensive strategy Engine 12 secured the water supply to Engine 13 Truck 14 performed the primary search of the 1st floor and Rescue 10 on the 2nd floor which proved clear Crews worked heavy fire in the basement causing the main floor joists to become spongy The fire caused extensive damage to the basement and part of the first floor and smoke damage throughout The cause of the fire is under investigation Additional information provided by West Metro Fire Rescue Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Ground-source heat pumps, which tap into the stable temperatures found hundreds of feet beneath the Earth’s surface, are a super-efficient way to heat and cool homes They’re also quite expensive to install in existing houses There’s a pretty straightforward reason: It’s hard to drill in a residential neighborhood Hiring contractors to fit rigs into tight single-family yards and drill boreholes in places where utility infrastructure crisscrosses underfoot is a lot more complicated and expensive than installing an air-source heat pump But what if you could bore hundreds of holes at a time across a patch of cleared land and then build heat pump–equipped houses on top of them it could make ground-source heat pumps about as cheap as traditional HVAC offerings in newly built homes told Canary Media: “Can you get the up-front cost to be lower than everything else Because then you have no reason not to do it.” Just being able to tackle hundreds of boreholes at a time should more than halve the drilling costs that burden existing home retrofits Large-project economies of scale and designing homes around the high-efficiency heating and cooling that Dandelion’s system provides will yield further cost reductions And by eliminating the need for new gas pipelines and reducing the peak electricity demands on the power grid, subdivisions built on this model could save a bundle on utilities as well, she said. That’s a key benefit cited in a January report from the Department of Energy, which found that widespread adoption of ground-source heat pumps could cut hundreds of gigawatts of peak demand and tens of billions of dollars in grid costs over the coming decades That study also found ground-source heat pumps could make a big dent in residential energy consumption and carbon emissions particularly in climates where they outperform air-source heat pumps during cold winter weather But as it stands, the technology is in no more than 1% of U.S. homes, the report found. For comparison, air-source heat pumps are now in about 13% of U.S. homes The chief barrier, once again, is the up-front expense. Dandelion has spent the past eight years working to bring down those costs through a combination of technology and business-model innovation, and has done more than 1,000 home retrofits in the U.S To break into larger volume deployments, Dandelion has shifted its focus to new construction over the past two years or so, Hannun said. That pivot has naturally included Lennar, an investor in Dandelion that now owns about 10% of the startup Lennar and Dandelion aren’t disclosing cost data for the homes they’re collaborating on in Colorado the up-front cost of geothermal today is less than conventional” heating That’s certainly the case in Colorado, where Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has made geothermal energy, or “the heat beneath our feet,” as he’s dubbed it in various state and regional policy initiatives a big part of the state’s broader decarbonization strategy “The rebates coming out of Xcel’s Clean Heat Plan played a really significant role in the ability of the Dandelion-Lennar investments to pan out,” said Will Toor executive director of the Colorado Energy Office The government and utility incentives will also lower costs for people who aren’t buying these homes because geothermal heat pump systems reduce the need for other utility infrastructure All-electric homes don’t need new gas pipeline extensions the costs of which are typically recovered through increases on the bills of utility customers at large And ground-source heat pumps need much less electricity than air-source heat pumps to keep homes warm during the coldest hours of the year since they’re able to pull heat from deep underground thermal reservoirs rather than from cold outdoor air “There’s clearly some cost of putting in a geothermal system it’s such an inexpensive approach to heating buildings,” Toor said “If we can come up with creative ways to get these systems installed we think it will help homeowners and businesses save money on their energy bills over the years.” Power grids are sized to meet maximum electricity demand so buildings that can reliably keep electricity use below certain limits minimize the need to build more grid infrastructure These factors can make geothermal networks the least expensive option on a system-wide basis when the lifecycle costs of infrastructure and energy consumption are built in Xcel Energy is looking for ways to mitigate growing grid costs as it seeks regulatory approval to spend nearly $5 billion on its low-voltage distribution grid over the next five years much of it to support growing power demand from heat pumps and electric vehicles “Based on our own research and forecasting homes heated with ground-source heat pumps may require less electricity at peak and overall compared to homes with an air-source heat pump or resistance heating therefore requiring fewer infrastructure investments on the grid,” Xcel spokesperson Tyler Bryant told Canary Media in an email Xcel will study the grid impacts of Lennar and Dandelion Energy’s use of ground-source heat pumps to “inform future projects from a grid planning perspective.” Hannun isn’t aware of other homebuilders embedding ground-source heat pumps into large-scale single-family construction, though they are being built into bigger buildings, including multifamily housing approaches for single-family homes to tap underground temperature reserves to save energy and cut carbon emissions according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition “Geothermal heat pumps and thermal energy networks are a cost-effective way for utilities and developers to deliver clean while minimizing strain on the electric grid,” said Ania Camargo the nonprofit’s associate director of thermal networks the better for the homeowner and the grid in the long run.” Under a state law passed last year Xcel Energy is examining several “neighborhood-scale alternatives to the gas system that can include both electrification and thermal energy network or ground-source heat pumps,” Toor said Hannun agreed that shared thermal energy networks are an effective way to approach neighborhood-scale geothermal heating But they’re also more complicated to build and administer than individual ground-source heat pumps particularly for entities that aren’t a regulated utility with state-mandated authority to provide energy services to customers Lennar and Dandelion opted for single-home ground loops to avoid any complications that could arise from getting lots of homeowners to commit to a shared system Not all homebuilders will embrace the additional costs of ground-source geothermal incentivizing them to choose the lowest-cost heating and cooling options available nationwide homebuilders like Lennar “often offer new products to homeowners to try to stand out,” Hannun said and ground-source heating has “traditionally been a luxury system.” It’s also a straightforward way to meet state or local energy-efficiency building codes Air-source heat pumps are inherently more energy efficient than fossil-fueled furnaces since they use energy to move heat from one place to another rather than to create heat directly But ground-source heat pumps can be more than twice as efficient as air-source models “These homes will have the lowest operating cost for HVAC possible,” Hannun said “The homeowners will spend less than if they were using air-source heat pumps or if they were using gas And that will be locked in for the lifetime of that home because that ground loop is built to last.” — A wildfire burning near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County is now 100% contained The sheriff’s office announced the news via X the sheriff’s office said deputies had lifted all pre-evacuation notices and that roads would open back up for residents by 10 a.m Wednesday's news comes a day after county officials said all mandatory evacuations had been lifted #QuarryFire update:- 100% containment- 579.6 acres- All pre-evacuations lifted- All road closures will open at 10 a.m The fire was reported late evening on July 30 and quickly grew in size Jefferson County officials said the fire was being investigated as arson though it's not yet clear if the fire was intentionally set or not Anybody with information about the origin of the fire is asked to call 303-271-5612 The blaze had grown to 579.6 acres in size by the time full containment was announced by the sheriff’s office Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat Report a typo — Flames from a wildfire burning near Deer Creek Canyon just west of Ken Caryl in Jefferson County were a quarter-mile away from the closest structures as crews continued to battle one of the most challenging fires to date to protect assets the state cannot afford to lose deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in an update at 5:30 p.m While there has been no containment on the fire the fire was less active Thursday and crews made progress a spokesperson from the sheriff's office said "We anticipate cooperative weather tonight and tomorrow and continued helicopter support tomorrow," the sheriff's office spokesperson said "We also have an additional hand crew coming in tonight to add to the 155 firefighters we currently have on the ground." director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said he hopes to have infrared flight data later in the evening to provide an accurate number on acreage and containment Describing the blaze as "just different" earlier in the day because of its location on rocky loose and tough terrain that was difficult for crews to navigate Techmeyer said later in the afternoon that firefighters "we're in for a long battle." which Techmeyer said has been observed burning up to 50 feet high Techmeyer said there were some good news on the resources front: The number of boots on the ground had doubled in size from a day prior with 155 firefighters battling the blaze Thursday among them the 20-person crew of the Durango-based San Juan Hotshots "They're like the SWAT team of firefighters," Techmeyer said While having two air tankers and three helicopters dropping thousands of gallons of fire retardant and water on the blaze was critical — especially because of thin resources due to all the other active wildfires in Colorado and in California the Pacific Northwest and Canada — Techmeyer said it was "boots on the ground (that) are going to win this fight." FEMA had authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Quarry Fire "after receiving the request this afternoon and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster," per a news release FEMA officials said that at the time of the request from the state to receive Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) funds the blaze was threatening more than 750 homes and other structures in the area The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing mitigating and controlling designated fires The grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire Techmeyer said the focus Thursday was going to be keeping the fire from jumping to the north side of Deer Creek Canyon Rd. which he described as the "worst case scenario." "Our number one goal is not to let that happen," he said earlier Of the resources that were 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 who had not heard of additional cases of fire exhaustion by Thursday afternoon "The morale is 'let's go to war,'" Techmeyer said While rattlesnakes are active in the area this time of year Techmeyer said he also had not heard any reports of a firefighter encountering one during their time working to contain the blaze Stressing his previous statements about the danger the fire posed to nearby neighborhoods in the Ken Caryl valley Techmeyer said that while he did not know which neighborhood was closest to the Quarry Fire "the flames are a quarter-mile away from the closest structures." There's a huge fire that's difficult to fight in our community Not being worried would be the concern," Techmeyer said as he went into detail about why it was so important to get the fire out as quickly as possible "This fire — you look at the incredibly difficult terrain like a watershed that puts water to people down in Denver Those are things that have got to be protected," he said 575 homes have been evacuated across those six subdivisions and Techmeyer could not say when those people would be allowed back two weeks — we just don’t know," he told reporters Thursday afternoon Road closures remain in place for South Valley Rd. Chatfield State Park also remains closed to all recreation because of the fire While county officials are thankful to people who have offered donations, they said Thursday that the best way people could help was through monetary donations on the Quarry Fire page of the Jefferson County website Evacuees were told to head to Dakota Ridge High School where over 65 people were taking refuge along with their pets Large animals were being evacuated to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds could go to the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden The Quarry Fire was first reported by a Jefferson County deputy doing his regular patrol in the area at about 9 p.m. Tuesday when he came across a small 10x10 spot fire which grew to 100 acres within about three hours The cause of the fire is still under investigation LITTLETON, Colo., June 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes is coming soon to the intersection of Alkire and Ken Caryl Parkway in Littleton Construction of the Sales Center and model homes is set to begin in fall of 2024 and sales will also start this fall Located in the esteemed Ken-Caryl master plan, Toll Brothers at Ken-Caryl Ranch will include 108 new home sites Toll Brothers will offer two collections of luxury single-family homes featuring expansive floor plans and options for home buyers to personalize their spaces to fit their lifestyle Home buyers will be able to choose from nine exquisite home designs ranging from 1,784 to 3,803+ square feet and value for which Toll Brothers is known “With floor plans designed for today’s buyers Toll Brothers at Ken-Caryl Ranch will offer residents the best in luxury living in one of Littleton’s most desirable communities,” said Reggie Carveth Division President of Toll Brothers in Denver “We are excited to bring our stunning collection of new home designs to this prestigious master-planned community.” Home buyers will enjoy exceptional access to the amenities of the Ken-Caryl Ranch master plan in addition to being close to everyday conveniences and a wide array of recreation including miles of trails and hiking opportunities in the nearby mountains as well as Denver’s sporting arenas and stadiums Children will have the opportunity to attend school within the highly acclaimed Jefferson County School District Major highways including state Highways 470 and 121 Route 285 are easily accessible from Ken-Caryl Ranch offering homeowners convenient access to Denver and Colorado Springs For more information, call (877) 431-2870 or visit TollBrothers.com/Colorado is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes The Company was founded 57 years ago in 1967 and became a public company in 1986 Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOL.” The Company serves first-time Toll Brothers builds in over 60 markets in 24 states: Arizona The Company operates its own architectural The Company also develops master-planned and golf course communities as well as operates its own lumber distribution Sent by Toll Brothers via Regional Globe Newswire (TOLL-REG) Flames rise amid the billowing smoke from a wildland fire burning along the ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Onlookers gather at a roadblock to watch as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Flames rise amid billowing clouds of smoke as a wildland fire burns over ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Helicopter heads toward a ridge to make a water drop on a wildland fire burning near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A helicopter makes a turn to collect water from a lake to drop on a fire burning through ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Onlookers gather to watch as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Flames consume trees as the Alexander Mountain Fire burns near Sylvan Dale Ranch late Tuesday This image provided by the USDA Forest Service shows the Alexander Mountain Fire near Loveland Park rangers from Douglas and Jefferson counties stand at a roadblock as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Helicopter flies over smoke as it billows from a wildfire burning in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday fields questions from onlookers gathered at a roadblock to watch as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A deer runs between cars as the animal wanders through the Ken Caryl Ranch development as a wildfire burns in the nearby mountains A ranger keeps watch on a closed hiking trail as smoke rises from a wiladland fire burning ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Trails are closed as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Smoke billows from a wildfire as it moves across mountainsides near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday An onlooker is silhouetted as smoke billows from a wildfire burning on the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A roadblock keeps residents away as a wildfire burns in the mountains near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Residents gather to watch a wildfire near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday The sun is obscured by smoke from wildfires north of the Greek capital at Klafthmonos Square in central Athens on Wednesday Strong winds and heat wave temperatures triggered wildfires in Greece and across southern Europe vehicles block the road as smoke rises from a wildfire as it burns along a ridge near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A ranger stands guard along a closed hiking trail as a wildfire burns in neighboring ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday An aircraft soars over a plume of smoke rising as a wildfire burns a ridge near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday Airplane soars over a wildfire as it burns on a ridge near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A pair of red rock formations stand in Roxborough Park as smoke envelopes ridges in the background as a wildland fire burns near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Flames rise amid the heavy smoke as a wildland fire burns over ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development on Wednesday A deer moves away from a wildfire as it burns in ridges near the Ken Caryl Ranch development Wednesday A vehicle heads westbound on 6th Avenue near Sheridan as a haze obscures the skyline of downtown Denver while several wildfires burn across the Centennial State Wednesday The death came in a fire near the town of Lyons that blackened more than two square miles (six square kilometers) by Wednesday afternoon The person’s remains were discovered in one of five homes that burned Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said without providing further details the Stone Canyon Fire was not growing significantly Wednesday as 150 firefighters battled the flames It was one of several large fires burning along Colorado’s Front Range a densely populated corridor that includes Denver and stretches roughly 80 miles (130 kilometers) along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains A fire at the edge of the Denver metro area west of the small town of Conifer triggered evacuation orders for about 575 houses from several subdivisions overnight Tuesday That fire was less than one square mile (2.5 square kilometers) as of midday Wednesday but was expected to grow with temperatures forecast to reach nearly 100 degrees (38 Celsius) A plane was dropping fire retardant and four helicopters were dropping water from a nearby reservoir on that fire said Mark Techmeyer with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office A third large fire burned more than 10 square miles (27 square kilometers) west of the town of Loveland where 4,000 people remained under evacuation orders Loveland-area resident Becca Walter said her parents sent her a photo of flames climbing a nearby ridge Wednesday morning They moved their eight horses to a friend’s ranch before evacuating to Walter’s house She worried her parent’s house could be lost but there are lot of memories in them that you can’t rebuild,” she said Yet another fire ignited Wednesday afternoon and prompted evacuation orders southwest of Boulder in the Gross Reservoir area Two structures burned — at least one of them a house — and two firefighters suffered unspecified injuries The fire was human-caused and authorities were talking to two people who may have been involved The fire was held to about five acres (2 hectares) by Wednesday evening dry weather and wind gusts of up to 30 mph (50 kph) were expected Wednesday across the Front Range Forecasters said the high temperatures were expected to persist into early next week but lighter winds in coming days could make it easier to control the blazes Colorado National Guard units were activated to help Jared Polis said during a news conference in Loveland He said it’s the first use of the guard in such fashion since a December 2021 fire killed two people and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes in heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder Polis warned of air quality “taking a turn for the worst” with the fire near Loveland expected to burn for weeks or months While most people heeded evacuation orders He urged them to consider a few nights away from home over the possibility of losing their lives A plane involved in the Stone Canyon Fire inadvertently dropped fire-retardant slurry containing phosphorous and ammonia-based ingredients into a water canal leading to Boulder Reservoir on Tuesday Although the reservoir is not being used for drinking water officials advised against fishing there and urged people to keep their dogs out of the waters almost 28,000 firefighters were battling 95 large fires according to the National Interagency Fire Center Almost 7,000 square miles (18,000 square kilometers) have burned nationwide so far this year an area nearly the size of New Jersey and well above the 10-year average for this time of year Evacuation orders were in effect for more than two dozen fires Fires in southeastern Wyoming triggered evacuations in Hartville Helicopters and heavy tankers were deployed against the fires which had grown to about 47 square miles (120 square kilometers) by Wednesday morning Fire officials hoped to take advantage of milder weather ahead of triple-digit temperatures forecast for Thursday through next week “We’re going into the heart of the fire season starting in August We’ve got a long road ahead of us,” Billy See a Cal Fire incident commander for the Park Fire firefighters made progress on fires in the Sequoia National Forest that led to evacuations One scorched through almost the entirety of the historic mining town of Havilah Fires statewide have overwhelmed California’s firefighting capacity but outside help has begun to arrive Rodriguez reported from San Francisco and Slevin reported from Denver — Firefighters battling the Quarry Fire west of Ken Caryl in Jefferson County were holding steady and preventing the fire from jumping onto Deer Creek Canyon Road but recreationists in the area were hindering efforts by crews to make progress on the blaze While a “little flare up” occurred on open space land on the west side of the fire overnight the director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said he was proud to say no structures have been lost so far despite the flames being about a quarter-mile away from the closest homes the fire was still 480 acres in size and 10% contained adding he expected containment to jump as firefighters were making a lot of progress on the fire lines Watch Saturday morning's briefing on the Quarry Fire in the video below: “Today we want to warn you that you're going to see more smoke,” Techmeyer said adding the smoke was part of firefighting operations in the west side of the fire and smoke was to be expected Jefferson County Sheriff Reggie Marinelli told reporters during the morning briefing that the biggest concern for people in the area was knowing whether the fire had crossed Deer Creek Canyon Road and it has not happened at this point in time,” she said adding weather is a concern Saturday because of the winds a potential storm might bring with it While residents have cooperated with Jefferson County officials on the response to the Quarry Fire some hikers and cyclists recreating in the area as well as people flying their drones over the past several days have hindered firefighting efforts “our helicopters dropping water on this fire have to land,” hindering the entire process of fighting the fire We are investigating to identify that person asked that recreationists thinking about going to Jefferson County over the next several days to hike or bike to “please refrain from doing that” and “go and hike and cycle somewhere else.” While county officials are not ready to let the hundreds of people who were evacuated from their homes go back in Techmeyer urged evacuees to head to Dakota Ridge High School this weekend between 10 a.m to register with the county so they can obtain badges that will be useful once the re-entry process starts It's been four days and counting since Leanna Jepkes and Justin Gonzales left their home in the middle of the night “We took our three-ring circus to my gracious family that was willing to accept all of us—five adults That’s how they found themselves at the Dakota Ridge High School evacuation center on Saturday morning to get their resident re-entry passes even as much as we are grateful that we have a place to [evacuate to] but it's very relieving that our home is still there to go to,” Gonzales said While there's no green light to go home yet the distribution of re-entry passes is a sign of hope for evacuees “I'm just going to stand and breathe in relief that everything's there [when we return] but we’re making progress,” Techmeyer said "We're going to keep those road closures for at least two to three days” after local residents are allowed back in as not only people but large animals will be moving back in No new information was shared during Saturday's morning briefing about the arson investigation now underway for the Quarry Fire Anybody with information on the fire's origins is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office tip line at 303-271-5612 Residents are asked to check any outdoor surveillance footage if they live in the area too FEMA has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Quarry Fire "after receiving the request.. and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster," per a news release The grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire Road closures remain in place for South Valley Road A map of the area under alert is available viewed here. Residents are encouraged to sign up for the Lookout Alert emergency notification system to keep up with the latest alerts from Jefferson County regarding the fire Littleton is an expansive suburb of the Denver metro area that is broken into five distinct areas each with unique characteristics and home styles If you’ve been thinking of making the move to Littleton there are plenty of great areas to choose from with a mountain charm not often found in suburbia If you live on the western side of Littleton deer and wildlife from the hills are more common Here’s a rundown of its major communities: The historic downtown area is where Littleton was founded and offers a charming Main Street lined with quaint boutiques home to several art galleries and the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center Most of the neighborhoods in the downtown area reflect the historic nature of the town Old Littleton best reflects the charm with many of the original houses dating back to the early 1900’s this neighborhood tends to be one of the more sought-after places to buy a home in the 80120 zip code Many of the other neighborhoods were built between the ’50s and ’80s which is also equestrian friendly with 1-2 acre lots and situated near several parks Mountain Rangeview is a high-end luxury neighborhood with irregularly sized lots aimed at reducing traffic This subdivision has horse-friendly properties and several neighborhood parks The Marston Lake area is home to the popular Southwest Plaza shopping mall, Raccoon Creek Golf Course, and its namesake, Marston Lake which offers an abundance of water activities It is also well known for the Grand Ranch master-planned community and the Riverwalk condo and townhomes complexes The family-friendly community features an abundance of parks and is just a short drive to the foothills Neighborhoods in this region are meant to feel suburban Grant Ranch is among the most well-known and sought-after communities It is intentionally designed to fit almost everyone’s needs in a home Offering late 1990s to early 2000s single-family homes with great views of the lake Riverwalk is a neighborhood of townhomes and condos that sits along the South Platte River Situated in the middle of a golf course and near downtown Littleton it is the perfect location for entertainment Residents of the Riverwalk will enjoy a clubhouse Bow Mar is another neighborhood that was developed over many decades Bow Mar is known for being the “club town” It sits on Bow Mar Lake and is home to beach clubs and yacht clubs that provide many water activities for the residents Even vacationers can visit and get in on the fun Bow Mar is a neighborhood fit for social butterflies and people who love outdoor adventures There’s also a dedicated bird sanctuary close by for a peaceful encounter with nature Roxborough neighborhoods are made up of more modern, custom-built homes. Ravenna is a prime example, with luxurious custom homes situated in a gated golf community. It’s the home of The Club at Ravenna an exclusive golf club that sits on championship golf courses Ravenna provides residents with beautiful mountain views and shares a border with the Pike National Forest Sterling Ranch is a new master-planned community complete with its own medical facility There is an abundance of home styles available from custom-built estates to pre-built eco-friendly single-family homes and townhomes The subdivision was designed to fit into Colorado’s natural landscapes and heritage Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the more than 30 miles of nature trails that are accessible from within Sterling Ranch Roxborough Park is another gated community made up of custom homes located near Roxborough State Park family-friendly neighborhood that offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities The Ken Caryl area is the most western portion of Littleton bordering the foothills to the west It tends to be the most sought-after region due to its proximity to the mountains and easy access to C-470 The area has a long history dating back to 1859 when it was just the Bradford/Perley House Inn and a toll road but today it’s a vibrant family-friendly area named after the popular Ken Caryl Valley neighborhood Ken Caryl Valley is a large master-planned community set at the base of the foothills John and Virginia Shaffer were the founders of the community in 1914 and named it after their sons Homes in the neighborhood tend to be well over a half million dollar with top-of-the-line upgrades The Ken Caryl HOA provides residents with ample amenities including community pools Trailmark is a neighborhood made up of two-story homes with a patio ranch section and condos that are all surrounded by open space. It is the perfect location for residents who love walking paths, nature, and wildlife. Trailmark provides easy access to Waterton Canyon Located in the southeastern part of Littleton, the zip code 80128 offers various recreational activities for residents. The most popular is Chatfield Lake with miles of trails and water sports such as boating and swimming The Columbine Sports Park offers baseball fields Cooley Lake also sits in the Columbine area for boating and fishing The Columbine area tends to be an affordable area with family-friendly subdivisions such as Columbine Hills Chatfield Bluffs is one of the more popular neighborhoods that offers single-family homes It’s sought after due to its proximity to C-470 Polo Reserve is a luxurious gated community bordering Cooley Lake and the Columbine Polo Club Most homes for sale in Polo Reserve have a price tag of above a million dollars It’s a great community for anyone who loves horses Littleton started out as a few gold seekers and farmers building a rough and ready flour mill it has grown and developed to where there are distinct areas within the city Littleton has an abundance of history and continues to grow while maintaining the natural beauty and history surrounding it Tim is an outdoorsman and bookworm from the Western Slope He enjoys traveling to all corners of Colorado and camping under the stars Copyright © 2025 · Free Colorado Travel Guide | Vacations, Travel and Tourism · All Rights Reserved steep terrain near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes before dawn Wednesday as high temperatures and windy conditions raised concerns the fire could spread into nearby neighborhoods before nightfall The Quarry Fire — the third in as many days on Colorado's Front Range — is 341 acres as of 8:30 p.m "The good news is that large air support is dropping fire retardant and four helicopters are dropping water (on the fire) as we speak," said Jefferson County spokesperson Mark Techmeyer during a press conference adding the firefighting efforts were much different than earlier in the day when county officials didn't know whether air support would help out the approximately 75 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze Evacuation orders remain for residents in the Deer Creek Mesa The Silver Ranch and Silver Ranch South subdivisions were under pre-evacuation notices Pre-evacuations were ordered around 8:45 p.m Wednesday for the Homestead South neighborhood and Oehlmann Park neighborhood Hilldale Pines is also under a pre-evacuation order A map of the area under alert can be viewed here with more possible if the winds shift direction a safety officer and a team leader with firefighters from various local agencies — was deployed Wednesday around 6:30 p.m Wednesday for a 12-hour shift around the fire The fire was spotted by a Jefferson County deputy doing his regular patrol in the area at about 9 p.m Tuesday when he came across a small 10x10 spot fire which grew to 100 acres within about three hours "in a very populated area that is mountainous and steep," Techmeyer said Wednesday morning The area where the fire is burning is full of scrub brush and is really hard to navigate on foot Deputies were going door to door to alert residents and a Lookout Alert was sent to those living in the area where over 50 people were taking refuge along with nearly a dozen of their pets "I saw right before I went to sleep that it had been announced and so I put my phone on loud cause I was expecting that I would get some sort of call about it," said Molly Finlay a woman living in the area who was forced to evacuate her home along with her husband and child Techmeyer said firefighters had so far been successful in keeping the fire out of neighborhoods and no injuries had been reported as of 11:30 a.m. but he warned that the emergency was far from over "I will be very blunt — every neighborhood in this facility is at risk "Every neighborhood in there is in a situation that we need to get this fire out Techmeyer called on residents living near the area to use common sense and evacuate as soon as possible if they see fire approaching ‘Your neighborhood is evacuated.’ You need to follow your heart and your gut and say We continue to monitor all fires across Colorado. Please be mindful outdoors, and stay safe. Check out https://t.co/POhiMouZRf for information on all active fires, evacuation orders and available shelters. You can also visit https://t.co/IDuEBdwB0w for emergency information… pic.twitter.com/NPYp2bGDRw Jefferson County spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said during the afternoon conference that they were thankful for the aircraft support that was helping them dump over 10,000 gallons of fire retardant on the blaze because without it "firefighters would literally have to hike in a couple of miles to get to some of these areas where the fire is and that is very very difficult terrain," which she described as "canyon lands." Kelley said it was ultimately an assessment of the fire by the incident commander that prompted that air support mountainous terrain where the fire is burning won't be the only thing firefighters will have to contend with as rattlesnakes are also currently active this time of year "Our number one priority is to keep (our firefighters) safe," Techmeyer said earlier in the day Road closures are currently in place for South Valley Road south of Ken Caryl Ranch and Deer Creek Canyon east of Deer Creek Those looking to recreate should look elsewhere outside of Jefferson County as Chatfield State Park is closed due to the fire, the county 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 plans to provide another update on the fire later in the day, but those looking for the latest updates should click here The cause of the Quarry Fire is not known at this time People in Evergreen were encouraged to call 911 for smoke columns and flames but not to report a smoky haze in the mountain valleys "Our resources (volunteer and paid) are scrambling to check on all reports of smoke but chasing smoke haze puts responders at unnecessary risk," Evergreen fire officials said Wednesday In an update later Wednesday officials from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said there would be no new updates on the fire for the rest of the day but we still have much groundwork to be completed Corrections and Clarifications: The spelling of Ken Caryl was corrected in this story You wouldn't know it by the little amount of snow in the Fort Collins area but a complex storm system has dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Colorado as of Wednesday morning with much more snow in the forecast There is a winter storm warning in effect until 5 a.m Thursday for much of the area east and south of Denver and advisories for the northeastern plains and foothills and mountains west of Denver This storm's focus is from Denver east to the Kansas border and from Denver south to the New Mexico border which will impact Interstate 25 travel into Friday morning For updated road conditions, visit COtrip Denver International Airpot is on the edge of significant snowfall totals with 5 inches expected but up to 12 inches possible so make sure to contact your airline carrier if flying the next couple of days The Denver metro area woke to a blanket of snow Saturday morning after a short-lived system moved into the area overnight The foothills and northern portions of the Front Range appeared to have received the most snow The light snowfall should be wrapped up by this evening with a high of only 26 degrees expected Saturday Here are the latest snow totals reported to the National Weather Service as of Saturday afternoon: A-Basinhttps://www.arapahoebasin.com/snow-report/ Copper Mountainhttps://www.coppercolorado.com/the-mountain/conditions-weather/snow-report Eldorahttps://www.eldora.com/the-mountain/conditions-weather/current-conditions-forecast Keystonehttps://www.keystoneresort.com/the-mountain/mountain-conditions/snow-and-weather-report.aspx Loveland Ski Areahttps://skiloveland.com/snow-report Purgatory https://www.purgatory.ski/mountain/weather-conditions-webcams/ Steamboat https://www.steamboat.com/the-mountain/mountain-report Winter Parkhttps://www.winterparkresort.com/the-mountain/mountain-report Wolf Creek Ski Areawolfcreekski.com/wcs-snow-report/ To view the Denver snowfall statistics infographics in fullscreen mode click this link. Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream — An active arson investigation is now underway into the Quarry Fire burning west of Ken Caryl in Jefferson County officials confirmed during a Friday morning news conference chief of investigations with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) said deputies believe the Quarry Fire is "human-caused in some manner," but didn't elaborate further due to the sensitive nature of the investigation Watch this announcement from Jefferson County officials in the video below: In a press conference later in the day, officials said they are using a state arson dog. near Deer Creek "above Grizzly in the switchback area," according to Bost but were not ready to say at the time whether arson was suspected until Friday morning's update Those items are now the focus of the fire investigation The source did not disclose what those items were to Kovaleski on Thursday Anybody with information on the fire's origins is asked to call the JCSO tip line at 303-271-5612 Another update came on Friday afternoon, when the Quarry Fire, first reported Tuesday night increased about 50 acres on the west side in open space and away from homes The fire remains about a quarter mile from any structures "The best news today is that we met our objectives," said Karlyn Tilley "Our objectives were to connect the hand lines to the bulldozer line And we have much more of a fire line around this fire than we did this morning She added that the fire line on Deer Creek Canyon Road is holding you probably saw some darker plumes of smoke out the area that is the fire burning back in on itself," she continued explaining that people should not interpret the smoke as an additional threat Two firefighters sprained their ankles in the past 24 hours Several people have reached out to donate and volunteer to help public affairs director with Jefferson County and the generosity that we've seen is mind blowing," she said To donate food or items, complete this form. Financial donations can be made through the American Red Cross we're even more optimistic that we're making really good progress with this fire and the temperatures tomorrow," Tilley said Watch Friday afternoon's press conference below The firefighting crew stands at 185 people with another hotshot team arriving Friday the public affairs manager for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office There are 40 hotshot firefighters on the ground battling the Quarry Fire "We have 20-year firefighters who are saying 'I've never worked in terrain like this,'" Techmeyer said during Friday morning's news conference adding that three helicopters would fight the fire from the air Friday Aircraft is using water from Chatfield Reservoir which was open to boating and water recreation Friday Chatfield Reservoir will be OPEN to boating and water recreation today. #QuarryFire operations with the belly planes has finished. Helicopters may still be in the area, but they can work around the boats. pic.twitter.com/4fZDpUjZ8k Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation 6 May 2025 7:37:00 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); DENVER — As fire crews battle a third wildfire raging in Colorado in just three days conditions remain ripe for a spark to set off another fire While the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder has not issued a Red Flag Warning for Wednesday elevated fire weather conditions persist along Colorado’s higher elevations and outdoor burning or any activities that could spark a fire should be avoided “The only reason we’re not seeing a Red Flag Warning today is because the winds have calmed down as yesterday when we saw wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour we’d see a number of warnings because it is really hot and dry,” said Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo Wind gusts early Wednesday morning ranged from between 5 to 15 mph along the Front Range with slightly higher gusts out on the plains hot temperatures and low relative humidity are still a concern for fire growth A weak front pushed through overnight and shifted the winds from north to south which will allow the wildfire smoke to drift down over Denver metro communities bringing hazier skies on Wednesday An air quality alert has been issued for the Denver metro and communities stretching up and down the I-25 corridor from Fort Collins through Castle Rock through at least 4 p.m “Warm and stagnant weather combined with increasing amounts of both local and out-of-state wildfire smoke will result in ozone and fine particulate matter concentration possibly reaching unhealthy levels for air quality,” said the NWS People with sensitivity to respiratory issues should avoid prolonged outdoor activities “You can see how hazy and smoky it is out there right now The plume of yesterday in Larimer County was pushing east along portions of I-25 today it’s pushing south towards parts of Boulder and Jefferson Counties plus we’re talking about additional fires that are adding to that smoke,” said Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo “We’re going to continue to see that through today Hidalgo said depending on the fire activity it is likely smoke will push toward portions of Weld County and into northeastern Colorado over the next couple of days While the wind speeds have dropped slightly, conditions remain extremely hot and challenging for crews battling the Alexander Mountain, Stone Canyon and newly formed Quarry Fire The Quarry Fire which quickly grew overnight in Jefferson County triggered the evacuation of around 600 homes as the fire has burned around 100 acres west of Ken Caryl there is little relief for fire crews until Friday into Saturday when clouds move in bringing a slight chance of showers and storms “We need a really big shift in this pattern and a much stronger cold front but it’s not going to happen at least for the next few days,” added Hidalgo JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Fire investigators have found some “weird items” at what they have confirmed to be the source of the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County, informed sources told Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski on Thursday the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed there is now an active arson investigation underway The Quarry Fire was first reported Tuesday night and remains at 0% containment as of Thursday afternoon the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said at 5:30 p.m While the sheriff's office said containment remains at 0% Nearly 600 homes in the area have been evacuated and more than 150 firefighters are actively battling the fire While county officials are thankful to people who have offered donations, they said Thursday that the best way people could help was through monetary donations on the Quarry Fire page of the Jefferson County website This is a developing story and will be updated by JESSE BEDAYN and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press (AP) — A wildfire on the edge of metro Denver crept within a quarter-mile of evacuated homes but authorities said Thursday they were hopeful that hundreds of threatened residences could be saved as they grapple with sweltering temperatures and firefighters suffering heat exhaustion The fire was among several threatening heavily populated areas of the Colorado foothills including one in which a person was killed earlier this week The Quarry Fire southwest of the Denver suburb of Littleton encroached on several large subdivisions Neighborhoods with nearly 600 homes were ordered to evacuate after the fire — of unknown origin — spread quickly Tuesday afternoon and overnight when relatively few firefighters were yet on the scene firefighting aircraft zipped back and forth between the blaze and a nearby reservoir Planes skimmed the surface to scoop up water and hovering helicopters pumped water into their tanks before the aircraft would return to the fire to dump their loads Jim and Meg Lutes watched from an overlook near their house northeast of the fire as smoke plumed up from the ridges Their community west of Littleton was not yet under evacuation orders but the couple had been ready to start packing a day earlier when flames could be seen blanketing the mountains "It can come over that hill pretty quick if the wind changes," said Jim Lutes Five firefighters were injured Wednesday, including four who had heat exhaustion, said Mark Techmeyer with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office The fire was in steep terrain that made it difficult to access but had been held to about a half-square mile (1.4 square kilometers) with no houses yet destroyed Officials said it remained a major hazard with hot temperatures and low humidity elevating the fire danger again on Thursday "This is not easy folks," Techmeyer said at a press briefing near the fire as heavy equipment rumbled by They're carrying a ton of equipment that they're wearing and they're doing a very physical job." The primary goal of fire crews was to keep flames from crossing over a road on its north end where there are densely packed neighborhoods "If we lose control of that fire and it jumps over the north side that would be our nightmare," he said officials reported making progress on the Stone Canyon Fire that has killed one person and destroyed five houses California's arson-caused Park Fire northeast of Chico continued to grow covering about 610 square miles (1,590 square kilometers) as of Thursday morning That's more than 25 times the size of New York's Manhattan Island The latest updates tallied 437 structures destroyed and 42 damaged Authorities said they faced critical fire weather in the coming days with potential triple-digit temperatures Almost 6,000 personnel were helping battle the Park Fire as more fire crews arrived from Utah and Texas Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more common and more destructive in the U.S West and others parts of the world as climate change warms the planet and droughts become more severe an unfinished senior living facility at 7731 Shaffer Parkway in Littleton The owner of a never-completed nursing home in Littleton has filed for bankruptcy Ken Caryl Senior Living LLC filed for Chapter 7 protection on May 31 Chapter 7 usually leads to a selloff of company assets The LLC has only $24,000 in the bank and owes nearly $3.8 million to creditors the general contractor for The Lodge at Ken Caryl Terry Claassen, a Glenwood Springs man who is the owner of Ken Caryl Senior Living LLC, said in an email that he cannot comment on the bankruptcy. Claassen is the manager of Rocky Mountain Senior Housing, which lists The Lodge among its properties Claassen’s LLC paid $2 million for the land in Littleton in 2015 a national lender that provided the cash for the purchase in 2015 The Lodge at Ken Caryl remains incomplete five years after its groundbreaking The 130,000-square-foot building was to have 138 units 36 memory-care studios and 16 independent residences along with large decks overlooking Deer Creek Golf Course and the Front Range According to the Broker List, an industry website for commercial real estate listings, construction on The Lodge at Ken Caryl began in August 2017 and stalled in late 2019 due to a since-settled dispute between its developer and its contractor. An estimated $9 million-$10 million is needed to finish building the $30 million senior living community, its Broker List page claims The property’s Facebook page is a ledger of its setbacks it posted photos of the groundbreaking and wrote it wrote that it would open in the winter of 2020 When a Facebook user asked for a status update in 2020 the page’s owners said it would open in late 2021 Court records show that Ken Caryl Senior Living LLC was sued several times in 2020 for allegedly not paying contractors Some of those lawsuits were consolidated into one pending case in Jefferson County District Court Another was settled in September for $17,500 This story is for our paid subscribers only Please become one of the thousands of BusinessDen members today Renew now by choosing a subscription below ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected] ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] Justin covers litigation, white-collar crime and other news. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and previously reported for The Denver Post, The Oklahoman and The Topeka Capital-Journal. [email protected] © 2025 BusinessDen - All Rights Reserved Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now × admin August 22, 20232023 Incidents, August 2023, Home Engine 13 arrived to a working fire from a two-story single-family residential and pulled a 1 3/4 for fire control in the offensive strategy and secured their own water supply Truck 14 started the primary search and Medic 13 pulled a 2nd line off Engine 13 to the front door District 2 arrived and assumed command and assigned Medic 12 as medical A partial collapse of the first floor and firefighters backed out of the structure The fire was put under control and crews started overhaul The home was under remodeling and the owners were not there There was extensive damage and the cause and origin is under investigation The Denver favorite brings its cozy atmosphere and family-pleasing menu to the Ken Caryl neighborhood Homegrown Tap & Dough opened its third and largest location in Ken Caryl on March 1 bringing creative Italian fare and approachable fine dining to one of Denver’s popular neighborhoods for families True to its other locations in Denver and Arvada Homegrown Tap & Dough’s latest restaurant offers quality food and unique ambiance including a booth in a repurposed ski gondola and an outdoor fire pit in the shadows of the foothills and there’s always plenty of local beer on tap for thirsty parents In addition to wood-fired pies such as Pigs and Pears the Weekend Warrior (a fun spin on classic pepperoni) and classics such as Spicy Sausage and Meat Lovers diners can dig into roasted Brussels sprouts including a Shaved Brussels Sprouts salad with blue cheese The menu also features mainstay Italian entrees – like chicken parmesan and rigatoni Bolognese – along with several vegetarian options and gluten-free pizza crust and pasta Little ones can order cheese or pepperoni pizza or pasta fusilli off of the kids menu and get a free soft drink and side of french fries or fruit all for $7 Tap & Dough’s Ken Caryl location nails the Colorado vibe: in addition to the indoor gondolas and multiple fireplaces invite outdoor dining The founders also brought their ingenious gaming arcade to Ken Caryl so parents can sit back and enjoy some peace and quiet pop in early to grab a seat before a line forms out the door Need to Know: Homegrown Tap & Dough Takeout will also be offered in coming months Jamie Siebrase is a Denver-based freelance writer Your Weekly guide to Colorado family fun. Colorado Parent has a newsletter for every parent. Sign Up Over 80% of Colorado’s population lives near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains there are plenty of courses to choose from with a wide selection of free and pay-to-play areas to escape the crowd and enjoy a round outdoors With over 200 courses statewide, Coloradans are never far from an opportunity for frisbee golf, including many areas suitable for all skill levels. From the heart of Colorado’s capital city, here are some of the best disc golf courses within a short distance from Denver As one of the longest-standing and most popular courses in Colorado Johnny Roberts DGC is a must-play for anyone interested in the sport Featuring short but interesting challenges Johnny Roberts DGC will keep players of all skill levels entertained throughout all 18 holes Part of a larger city park, Johnny Roberts visitors are welcome to enjoy the disc golf course, skatepark, and playground completely free of charge. The course is conveniently located just a few blocks from Arvada‘s Old Town which has plenty of dining options for a stop before or after your visit Need a quick round of high-quality disc golf near Denver? The Ken Caryl Disc Golf Course, in Littleton, is one of the best spots to get a quick FROLF fix. Featuring just 9 par-3 holes in a beautiful shaded park setting this course is well suited for both first-timers and seasoned experts child-friendly course in the Denver area that the entire family can enjoy visitors can also take advantage of the adjacent tennis court as well as the soccer and baseball fields few spots are as convenient as Camenisch Park Featuring both the Badlands and Hylands (also known as Lower Badlands) areas Camenisch Park offers a total of 36 unique holes split between the two free 18-hole courses Set on a hill in Federal Heights, disc golfers in Camenisch Park are subject to frequent elevation changes but are rewarded with great views of the city skyline. There are portable restrooms on-site and non-golfers can also enjoy the park’s open spaces Northeast of Denver, Brighton’s Adams Hollow Disc Golf Course is a moderately challenging destination for a fun round of FROLF and fairly flat compared to some of Colorado’s more physically and conceptually challenging courses Adams Hollow is a great place to practice your driving skills the course also features a few areas with heavy brush and tree obstacles Adamas Hollow DGC’s 18 holes are free to play and have a portable restroom and water near the parking lot On the east side of Morrison the Fehringer Ranch Park DGC is a highly-rated course with easy access from Littleton Located in the scenic foothills of Jefferson County 18-hole course offers a fun mix of challenges amid distant mountain views Unlike a lot of local courses, Fehringer Ranch Park offers mostly open spaces with minimal trees While this is great for long-distance shots players should also come prepared for minimal shade coverage and potentially windy conditions In South Boulder, the Fairview DCG is a free, beginner-friendly course located in the Harlow Platts Community Park Fairview offers two different baskets per hole which allow players to shoot to their comfort level players are treated to excellent views of the Flatirons and bathrooms are available on-site many players will choose to circle the course twice shooting at the red baskets first and then the gold baskets for a more challenging back nine Introduced in 2019, the new Flatirons Disc Golf Course has quickly become one of Boulder’s most popular frisbee golf areas. The course is located on the same grounds as the city’s Flatirons Golf Course and a fee is required to play Before visiting the Flatirons Disc Golf Course players are highly encouraged to determine whether or not a tee time is available for the day About a half-hour drive from the center of Golden via Coal Creek Canyon in Wondervu the Wondervu Disc Golf Course is a beautifully maintained area with panoramic mountain views to match with both day and season passes available in the pro shop Hosting casual disc golfers and competitive tournaments since 2015, Wondervu is a challenging course with a wide variety of shots and a significant amount of hiking required. Tee times can be booked in advance, with current contact information available online Located roughly halfway between Denver and Boulder the East Interlocken Disc Golf Course is a great place to shoot nine holes year-round The course is free to the public but beware of its water hazards and vegetation which have a reputation for frequently causing players to lose discs Each hole at the East Interlocken Disc Golf Course is tight and technical which makes it interesting for both experienced players and those simply learning the sport The course is well maintained and visitors are welcome to make use of the park’s restrooms and picnic area The course is open year-round, but may be closed due to cattle grazing or inclement weather. Bailey is also home to another world-class course (ranked #27th in the world on the same list) reserved for private play only: Bear Mountain DGC interested visitors can contact the owner to learn more about course availability Located roughly 40 minutes from Denver and open daily, with limited hours, Colorado’s highest-ranking disc golf course awaits players in the scenic hills of Conifer. Currently claiming the title of the 11th-best DCG in the world the Beaver Ranch Disc Golf Course is the absolute premier destination for action in a picturesque Rocky Mountain setting Privately owned, the Beaver Ranch DGC has a daily fee for play and season passes can also be purchased on-site Players have their shot at 63 total baskets spread across two separate courses and visitors can expect a bit of a workout while traversing the area’s terrain there is a fully-stocked pro shop and opportunities for camping and ziplining In Parker, the West Creek Disc Golf Course offers a professional-length disc golf experience across 18 free, well-maintained holes. A great chance to practice long-distance drives, West Creek DGC is a fun choice for players of all experience levels Restrooms are available near the first tee Players can expect to walk about 2 miles during a full round with occasionally dramatic elevation changes that can be challenging in the summer heat Located about an hour and fifteen minutes from Denver A-Basin’s disc golf course features excellent views of the continental divide and surrounding mountings Parking is free in the resort’s lot and the course begins and ends near the small base area and drink are typically available during summer weekends In Northern Colorado Springs the Cottonwood Creek DGC is one of the area’s best public courses available for a free day of FROLF The course navigates through 22 wooded holes loaded with tree-lined shots designed with players of all abilities in mind As a par 3, 18-hole course, Cottonwood Creek is very compact and visitors can expect to see many other guests enjoying the park. The course is family-friendly, with restrooms, picnic facilities, a playground, and more located in the adjacent Cottonwood Creek Park. For another great round on the other side of town The Aviary is one of the best frisbee golf courses near Colorado Springs The Aviary is free to play and features 18 par 3 holes of various lengths Although it is not typically as well kept as private courses, the Aviary DGC still ranks as one of the best courses in the area with a wide variety of technical shots Restrooms are available on-site and visitors are encouraged to bring bug spray during the summer and fall Open seasonally in the beautiful town of Frisco, the Peak One DGC is one of the best opportunities for frisbee golf in Summit County. Composed of 27 challenging holes, Peak One is simultaneously beginner-friendly and extremely challenging as it is filled with plenty of short technical shots visitors are treated to dramatic views of Lake Dillon and its surrounding mountain peaks If you’re looking for another round of disc golf in the greater Breckenridge area the DDGC offers tremendous scenery and challenging play year-round If you’re looking for a truly beginner-friendly frisbee golf course near Colorado Springs in Fountain, we recommend the Cumberland Green Disc Golf Course, also known as Jimmy Camp DCG As a short course full of interesting par 3’s pros can practice their putting while amateurs have their choice between multiple baskets per hole Inspired to head out for a round of frisbee golf? Of course, these courses are just a small selection of the many great disc golf opportunities available near Colorado’s largest metro areas. For a few more high-quality courses around the state, feel free to check out our blog on the best disc golf courses in Colorado Brian Church is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast based in Denver JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A 12-year-old child on a bicycle died following a collision with a vehicle in Jefferson County Friday evening crossing the intersection against the crosswalk on Ken Caryl when an eastbound Nissan Xterra struck the child say their son had left home before dinner to get a snack with friends "I never thought he wouldn’t come home," said Heather Stephenson It’s this tragedy that has also sparked this family’s call for change. "They need to do something so that no one else loses a child no one else ever has to feel this immense pain because of that intersection," Heather Stephenson said Family members say Sean Stephenson loved to play the guitar and producing his own videos He was the eldest brother to two young boys He was supposed to share his day with me and I’ll never hear that laugh I’ll never hear that smile simply because of one moment," said Heather Stephenson The driver of the Nissan is a 50-year-old woman She had a 18-year-old passenger in the SUV Troopers said no citation was issued because the 12-year-old child was at fault Most Ken Caryl residents know the Ranch House as the place for tennis But they might not be aware that the Ranch House is also becoming a center for ongoing fine art classes and workshops Award-winning artist Chuck Danford’s intermediate/advanced watercolor class has been running for ten years on Monday and Wednesday mornings with many of the same students continuing to learn and grow year after year Some of his long-time students have gotten so good that their paintings have been submitted and accepted into local watercolor competitions and have even won awards We asked Chuck the secret of his class’ ongoing success “I truly enjoy sharing my experience and love of painting with every person in each class,” he answered “The Ranch House is an outstanding facility with a great staff — the setup of the space and the lighting make it perfect for students I feel very fortunate to have created a following of wonderful artists This past September, an ongoing acrylic landscape class taught by fine artist Leslie Miller was added to the roster on Thursday mornings Some of Leslie’s students have just picked up a brush for the first time in their lives “It’s fantastic watching people learn to mix colors and realize that they can make ART,” she told us “Most beginners believe they have no talent but you really can’t know that until you try Having ongoing six-week sessions allows students to slowly master the necessary skills This coming February 8, the Ranch House is pleased present Introduction to Pastels This one-day workshop is designed to gauge interest for a potential weekly pastel class she claims pastel is “her first love” and that there’s a misconception that it is hard to learn She is prepared to boldly debunk this assumption in the upcoming workshop The one thing all the classes have in common is that no sketching is required Both instructors prepare a sketch in advance for the students to use eliminating a common problem for people who would like to learn how to paint but can’t sketch to save their lives Students can also work on their own projects as well we invite you to come down and join our growing creative community Find out more here or call 303-979-4070 or 303-979-2233 and former New Yorker who loves all things Colorado You must be logged in to post a comment The new location has the same classic Italian menu and quintessentially Colorado vibe with gondolas for dining as the first two locations but this one is larger with large cozy canvas yurts reminiscent of backcountry adventures and multiple fireplaces “We opened our first Homegrown location in Washington Park after seeing that the neighborhood didn’t have high-quality dining concepts – and we did the same thing with our subsequent locations in Arvada and Ken Caryl,” said Peter Newlin co-founder of Homegrown Tap & Dough and CEO of Gastamo Group “Littleton is such a vibrant community and it’s really on the rise right now so we couldn’t be more excited to connect with and serve that community.” developed by Gastamo Group and Homegrown Tap & Dough Co-Founder Jean-Philippe Failyau draws on his experience cooking at Michelin-starred Italian restaurants and features hand-tossed pizza and Italian classics like Chicken Parmesan and Braised Tomato Meatballs Colorado touches include green chili pizza sandwiches featuring meat from local ranchers and rotating beer taps from Colorado breweries previously Chef de Cuisine at Cherry Creek’s Halcyon Hotel Opus has broken ground on Catalyst Industrial a new 188,054-square-foot Class A speculative industrial development on 14.26 acres located at 15030 E Each year during National Preservation Month Historic Denver opens the doors for the public to nominate the people and projects 2021 at 5:32 pm MT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Evacuations have been lifted for Ken Caryl Valley after a large grass fire burned in the area CO — Mandatory evacuations were lifted Monday for all of Ken Caryl Valley after a large grass fire burned near C-470 and Kipling according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office the eastbound lanes of C-470 remained closed Evacuees were directed to the evacuation center at Chatfield High School but were given the green light to return to their homes just before 5 p.m Hildebrand Ranch and South Valley parks will remain closed until early Tuesday morning Get more local news 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This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy -- A group of residents in Ken Caryl are fighting to save the habitat of golden eagles They fear the eagles will be threatened by the construction of a hiking and mountain biking trail nearby "It’s like a no brainer — why are we doing this?" said Heidi Werth Werth and others protested outside a meeting for the Ken Caryl Master Association They held signs saying "save our eagles" and expressed frustration for the plans that are moving forward The map below shows where the Docmann Trail would be located It has already been approved despite the backlash and residents are hoping to stop it before construction begins "It is just incredible that we have a few selfish individuals who want to create an amusement park," said Philip Varley another resident who described his displeasure with the proposal The Ken Caryl Ranch Master Association released a statement saying the board is striving to create a balance between natural resource protection and the desire for outdoor recreation The proposed trail alignment is unlikely to disturb eagle nesting because it is outside of the CPW-recommended 0.5-mile disturbance buffer and because the eagles are likely habituated to human activity give the nest's close proximity to the Lockheed Martin facility 2019 at 7:54 pm MT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}GOLDEN CO – A man who was found guilty of carjacking and kidnapping a couple he met in a Ken Caryl bar has been sentenced in Jefferson County District Court was sentenced to 192 years in prison after a judge added violence and "habitual criminal" sentencing measures to his conviction for ten felony counts the Jefferson County District Attorney's office said Hackbarth had six prior criminal convictions Hackbarth was found guilty in August after a six-day trial of kidnapping and robbing a young couple they met at a Ken Caryl sports bar in September of 2017 with co-defendant Casey Daniel Cleveland Cleveland pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 26 years in prison for his role in the incident 2017 two men befriended a male and female couple at the Mirage sports bar in the 8400 block of Coal Mine Avenue Cleveland pulled a knife and put it to the male driver's neck Hackbarth reached forward and put his arm around the female’s neck and threatened to kill her The two men bragged that they were gang members belonging to the "211-Crew." The woman jumped out of the moving car at Wadsworth and Chatfield sheriff's deputies were able to take them into custody Related: 2 Found Guilty In Ken Caryl Carjacking, Kidnapping Images Hackbarth via Jefferson County District Attorney's Office Stay up-to-date on Littleton news with Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: FREE newsletters and Email Alerts|Facebook Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. and Peter Newlin have opened restaurants in several Denver neighborhoods They decided to open a Homegrown Tap & Dough in Littleton because of growing demand in the suburbs Jean-Philippe Failyau and Pete Newlin have been growing their restaurant group with new concepts over the past few years they’re ready to get back to their homegrown roots The founders of Gastamo Group plan to open a third Homegrown Tap & Dough location at 12622 W Gastamo Group purchased the former Village Inn for $1.7 million in 2020 (Images courtesy of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture) we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know new neighborhoods,” Newlin said “And the Ken Caryl neighborhood has amazing access to the outdoors and the Colorado lifestyle we all fell in love with we really felt like Homegrown would be the perfect brand for the area This location is designed to embrace Colorado’s 1970s and 80s ski culture.” Gastamo Group opened the original Homegrown Tap & Dough in 2011 at 1001 S They opened a second at 5601 Olde Wadsworth Blvd The new 4,469-square-foot space was previously a Village Inn and will be Homegrown’s largest location yet Failyau and Newlin purchased the building in December 2020 for $1.7 million Homegrown Tap & Dough did an extensive renovation and build out of the Littleton space They hired Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to transform the old Village Inn into what feels like “a Vail ski lodge during the 1970s,” Newlin said They built out a large patio with multiple fire pits ski canvas yurts and picnic tables overlooking the Front Range Homegrown Tap & Dough draws on Failyau’s experience cooking at Michelin-starred Italian restaurants and features hand-tossed pizza and Italian classics like chicken parmesan and braised tomato meatballs sandwiches with meat from local ranchers and rotating beer taps from Colorado breweries Newlin and Failyau said the brand was well positioned for takeout and delivery during the pandemic previously chef de cuisine at Cherry Creek’s Halcyon Hotel Homegrown Tap & Dough’s largest location will feature canvas yurts outside for group dining Homegrown Tap & Dough’s new restaurant has the same classic Italian menu with gondolas for dining as well as an arcade “for kids to play while the parents have a cocktail,” Newlin said “When we set out to build a restaurant for a community our intention is to be operating this restaurant in 20 years,” Newlin said “We want to focus on building these legacy brands which is why it makes sense to purchase our building We want to do it right from the beginning.” Failyau first founded Park Burger in Wash Park in 2009 Homegrown Tap & Dough serves hand-tossed pizza they’ve grown Park Burger to three other spots in the Highlands They’ve also opened three Birdcall chicken sandwich eateries a new sit down Baja-style restaurant that opened in Wash Park in February last year “Birdcall has a different trajectory and growth goal than other Gastamo concepts but the goal of our group is to focus on that idea of community through hospitality,” Newlin said When we focused on growing Birdcall for a few years we took a step back from these full-service dining restaurants so we’re excited to get back to what we do best.” The restaurateurs have no immediate plans to expand any of their other brands but Newlin said they are eyeing the suburbs now more than ever “The work from home culture has changed everything That in turn changes where it makes the most sense to put a restaurant,” he said “As more people in the suburbs are calling home their office restaurants are becoming their new escape.” ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected] FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] Lily O'Neill was a BusinessDen reporter from 2020 to 2022 Someone who bought a lottery ticket in Colorado didn't win the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot but they were still one of the big winners in Tuesday's drawing The winning ticket matching all six numbers was sold in New Jersey but there were 13 other pretty big winners across the U.S. including the person who won $1 million in Colorado The cash value of the jackpot prize is $537.5 million Twelve tickets across the country matched five numbers and were worth a million dollars One ticket also had the Megaplier and was worth $2 million The person who bought the $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket in Colorado did so at the Safeway at 12442 W But there were two other pretty big winners How many people won $1 million or more?Here are the winning amounts and where the tickets were purchased: The $1.13 billion prize was the fifth-largest in Mega Millions history Now the jackpot has gone down to $20 million with a $9.5 million cash option If you're interested in playing the odds for next time you might want to purchase your ticket at the store with the most lottery winners in Colorado: Winner's Corner in Pueblo which has produced 18 winners for a total of $1.7 million The Mega Ball was 4 and the Megaplier was 2X Mega Millions drawings are held in Atlanta every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m Emily DeLetter of USA TODAY contributed to this report admin March 4, 20242024 Incidents, February 2024, Home Engine 13 arrived to a two-story single-family with a working fire from the garage and pulled 1 3/4 line for fire attack and secured their own water supply with Medic 13 Truck 14 arrived and assigned with search and roof ops and Engine 8 secured a 2nd water supply District 3 assumed command in the offensive strategy and requested additional medic to the scene Crews found fire that extended into the home and the fire was put under control at 09:49 One resident was transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation South Metro: Battalion Chief 2 (Cancelled) 2018 at 7:13 pm MT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}GOLDEN CO – Two men who bragged they were gang members of the "211-Crew" when they kidnapped and a robbed a young couple they met at a Ken Caryl sports bar have been convicted in Jefferson County District Court and are awaiting sentencing A Jefferson County jury found Jeremy Scott Hackbarth 29 of ten felony counts after a six-day trial pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery the First Judicial District Attorney's Office said the two men befriended a male and female couple at the Mirage sports bar in the 8400 block of Cole Mine Avenue then one of the two defendants became rowdy and was asked to leave and Hackbarth and Cleveland asked for a ride home The two men bragged that they were gang members belonging to the "211-Crew," and the couple noticed one man had a tattoo of Johnny Cash on his hand and the other was wearing a hat that said "Zoo York." Hackbarth and Cleveland then ordered the male to turn into a neighborhood and pull over They threatened to shoot him and told him to get out of the car Hackbarth and Cleveland then drove away in the female victim’s car Police found the man walking along Wadsworth holding her shoes Sheriff's officers located Hackbarth and Cleveland nearby after neighbors complained that they were making a disturbance Cleveland was later discovered to have a Johnny Cash tattoo on his hand and Hackbarth was wearing a Zoo York hat matching the description provided by the carjacking victims The jury found Hackbarth guilty of kidnapping second degree assault and aggravated motor vehicle theft and other counts Cleveland is scheduled for sentencing on Sep 20 and Hackbarth is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec Images Cleveland and Hackbarth via Jefferson County District Attorney's Office