As Colorado wildfires left burn scars across thousands of acres, first responder officials from across the Front Range on Thursday lamented that this is only the beginning of recovery efforts.

“The work is certainly not done,” Kate Kimbly, spokesperson for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, said of Colorado’s largest wildfire burning west of Loveland.

“We are transitioning to more of a recovery phase in terms of community needs,” she added.

The Alexander Mountain fire began on July 29 and has burned 9,668 acres in the mountains. In its path, the fire has destroyed 26 homes, damaged four others, and burned down 20 outbuildings. Damaged homes were located on Storm Mountain and the Cedar Park neighborhood.

Passed the Dam Store in Loveland and into the mountains, the charred remains of trees, bushes and shrubs are visible, the burnt scent heavy in the air.

As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was 91% contained, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s office. Beginning Thursday, all roads around the area have reopened, including Highway 34 between Loveland and Estes Park.

Kimbly said the fire’s cause remains under investigation.

Despite the fire being close to full containment, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office officials are turning focus to recovery efforts.

Those efforts start with the more than 2,500 evacuees, who all received the greenlight to return home on Wednesday.

On Friday, Larimer County officials are opening the Alexander Mountain Fire Disaster Assistance Center, located at The Ranch Event Complex in the Larimer County Fairgrounds, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland.

Larimer County officials call the disaster assistance center a “one-stop-shop” to provide information and resources from different organizations, according to its fire recovery updates page.

The disaster management center will provide resources to those most impacted by the fire. Those resources include food, non-perishable items, debris removal, food waster, flood resources, mental health, homeowners/rental and land restoration resources.

Donna Nemeth, a spokesperson for the National Forest Service in the Larimer County region, said next steps include erosion control and, once the fire is fully contained, will begin Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation.

“The goal is to mitigate the after effects in the burned areas,” Nemeth said, adding it could take from one month to a year to complete.

Quarry fire

Jefferson County officials on Thursday began sending out recovery resources for those affected by the Quarry fire, which ended up burning 579 acres west of Ken Caryl.

The flames were fully contained on Wednesday.

No structures were damaged, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re just really thankful that we have so much support from firefighters all over out regions,” Karlyn Tulley, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said Thursday.

Throughout the week, Tulley and county officials applauded efforts from what was almost 200 firefighters battling cliffside flames.

“Local firefighters came in and did an amazing job with limited resource,” she said. “We are proud to be a part of the operation and see the amazing jobs that they did.”

The cause of the fire, which began on July 31, is believed to be human-caused and, as of Thursday, remains under arson investigation.

The Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office announced Tuesday that people affected by the mandatory evacuations in the Ken Caryl area could return home. About 575 homes were under the mandatory evacuation.

Jefferson County launched a website page to inform residents of their recovery efforts.

Recovery efforts include indoor and outdoor cleaning, fire retardant cleanups, wastewater treatments and other water needs.