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Thousands of people living near Boulder, Colorado have been told they have to leave their homes, as a 3,500 acre wildfire fanned by high winds continues to threaten the landscape.
Though the winds have calmed down since Monday, firefighters still have a long battle ahead, as the fire has already engulfed dozens of homes in an area known as the Boulder Foothills. Officials hope the calmer winds Tuesday will allow them to dump more fire retardant from above, as many air tankers had to be grounded earlier in the week. A Boulder County Sheriff’s spokesman, Commander Rick Brough, did say, however, that those tankers were still grounded, not because of high winds, but because the resulting smoke made it difficult for pilots to hit their targets.
Brough went on to say that the fire started in an area northwest of Boulder, known as four mile canyon. It quickly spread as 45 mph wind gusts fanned the flames in different directions, even claiming the homes of four firefighters. They were relieved of their stations to take care of their families after losing their homes.
Firefighters were able to save the historic area of Gold Hill, including a stagecoach stop over and an Old West general store. But, flames became so erratic that fire crews had to relocate their own firefighting equipment several times to avoid the wildfire.
Evacuation efforts did not go as smoothly as officials would have liked. Brough said the county’s automated phone alert system was down for a couple hours, forcing officials to rely on media outlets to get the word out to residents in the area.
Brough also said that, though numerous homes had been lost, there were no reports of any injuries to firefighters or residents. He also said, there was no reason to believe the fire had been intentionally set.
