Raging Fire and Winds

Don't let anyone fool you. Boulder may be small but it is definitely a happening place to live. If blizzards and mountain lions aren't attacking the city then forest fires are. Living in the Mid-West you always hear about forest fires and of course we know they are serious but it wasn't until moving to Boulder that I realized just how insane these fires can be. One minute you are standing there (from a safe distance) watching the fire fighters get control of the fire and in the next blink of an eye it is a mile farther out and growing bigger with every tree it engulfs. The winds were definitely not helping last night either. The fire fighters got most of the fire under control during the night but this morning the winds picked back up and right now they only have control of 30% of the fire. According to the Daily Camera (our local Boulder paper) 11,500 homes were evacuated, 1,800 acres were burned, 6 building structures were damaged, and 3 people were injured. They also had to evacuate hundreds of horses since most of the homes in north Boulder are ranches.

The town home that I moved out of in August was not caught in the fire but it was so close to the fire that all the homes in that area now smell like smoke damage. They will have to repaint and re-clean all those town homes. The strangest part for me is coming to work today. There was some small chatter in the break room this morning about the fire but other than that everyone went about their day as normal. No one seemed too concerned that the fire happened or that it was that serious. Everyone is so use to having fires and blizzards go through Boulder that they don't even blink a eye anymore. Below is an article from the Daily Camera about the fire and some pictures they took last night.

The fire during the night

What an amazing picture....but how scary!

From this morning...the fire is getting under control

Fire Control Expected Today; U.S. 36 Re-Opened
Olde Stage Road Fire has burned more than 1,800 acres

Originally published 12:03 a.m., January 8, 2009

Updated 08:55 a.m., January 8, 2009

Firefighters are gaining ground on the fire burning north of Boulder. U.S. 36 -- which had been closed since Wednesday afternoon -- is now open to traffic, Sheriff Joe Pelle announced at an 8:30 a.m. press conference this morning.

"This fire is rapidly becoming more controlled," he said. "We're very optimistic we'll have this controlled by the end of the day as long as the wind doesn't pick up."

Evacuation orders have been lifted for homes east of U.S. 36, including the Lake Valley and North Rim subdivisions. Areas west of the highway are still closed, including the Crestview neighborhood.

Sheriff's officials will hold another news conference at 11:30 a.m., when they hope to have more information on when residents can return to their homes.

More than 200 firefighters and 50 law enforcement and animal control officers worked to control the blaze late Wednesday and early Thursday, Pelle said.

The sheriff praised those officials for evacuating residents and protecting homes.

"The effort that went into suppressing this fire last night was exhausting and downright heroic," he said. "The firefighters did save a number of homes. ... The fact that no one was killed or seriously injured in a wind-driven event like this is miraculous."

Emergency personnel are now reporting that 1,400 acres have burned within a 3,600-acre area, and firefighters are hoping to have the blaze 100 percent contained by this afternoon.

The fire is 30 percent contained at this time, and the emphasis this morning remains on structure protection and suppressing hot spots, officials said.

Just two people who were evacuated late Wednesday spent the night at Centennial Middle School in Boulder, said Boulder Valley School District spokesman Briggs Gamblin. A Red Cross worker will remain at the school today.

The Marriott Courtyard hotel in Longmont took in several of the evacuees.