Residents of south Boulder, Colo., and the Eldorado Springs area were ordered to leave their homes Saturday due to a fast-moving wildfire near the site of a destructive 2021 blaze.
The wildfire had grown to 24 hectares by late afternoon, said Boulder Police spokesperson Dionne Waugh. About 1,200 people in Boulder had been told to leave, and no hikers were missing in the area, Waugh said.
Protected wildland is burning near the Table Mesa neighborhood and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), police said on Twitter. Authorities are calling it the NCAR fire.
We are working on multiple notifications to the community right now but if you’re in either of these shaded areas please EVACUATE NOW. We will continue to share info as the <a href=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCARfire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NCARfire evolves. Also working to find a secure media staging area. Will tweet when found pic.twitter.com/xtvFgLgylm
—@boulderpolice
The fire is in an area where a blaze destroyed 1,000 homes last year in unincorporated Boulder County and suburban Superior and Louisville.
Superior town officials told residents in an email that there were no immediate concerns for the community.
The fire was moving south-southeast toward Eldorado Springs, the Boulder County Sheriff's office said. The Boulder Fire Department was fighting the blaze.
Eldorado Canyon State Park has been closed and authorities have ordered people who are hiking or climbing in the area to leave. University of Colorado Boulder Police are evacuating the south campus and police blocked westbound traffic on roads near the blaze.
The fire started around 3 p.m. MT Saturday and an Emergency Operations Center was activated, Boulder police said. Emergency alerts have been sent to cellphones within a 0.4 kilometre radius of the research centre.
We will be live-streaming a press conference from the scene at approximately 5pm <a href=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCARfire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NCARfire The fire is currently at 60 acres in size with zero containment xjmtzywFTPG">pic.twitter.com/JxJih0FTPG</a>
—@boulderpolice
"Message is to EVACUATE area due to fast moving wildfire #boulder," police said.
The evacuation area is bounded by U.S. 36 on the west and Baseline Road on the north, the Daily Camera reported. Other areas under evacuation orders include the Chautauqua, Interurban Park and Highland Park neighbourhoods in addition to the Boulder open space west of those neighbourhoods.
There was no immediate information on the cause of the blaze.
The skies are clear and the temperature was about 23 C with wind at about 40 km/h.
