Boulder County Coroner struggling to ID remains found in Stone Canyon Fire

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Boulder County Coroner’s Office announced Wednesday that it still has not positively identified remains found inside a burned home during the Stone Canyon Fire.

The office said in a news release that due to the condition of the remains, the identification process is challenging. DNA extraction is difficult because of damage to the skeletal remains caused by the fire.

“The integrity of the bones is significantly compromised after a fire, making it extremely difficult to obtain usable DNA,” Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin said in a news release. “In addition, locating a living family member for comparative DNA analysis can further complicate and delay the process. We are dedicated to overcoming these challenges and are utilizing every available resource to assist in this identification effort.”

The 1,557-acre Stone Canyon Fire sparked in the Stone Canyon area outside the Town of Lyons -on July 30. The fully contained fire destroyed five homes and forced hundreds to evacuate, but all orders have since been lifted.

On July 31, authorities announced they had found remains inside a burned home located in the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road but did not disclose additional details on the fatality.

The coroner’s office said it’s working closely with forensic experts and law enforcement to speed up the identification process, and they are “dedicated to determining the cause and manner of death for individuals within Boulder County.

It's unclear if officials have a possible identification they are pursuing.

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