Boulder County officials said they do not have an update yet this morning on the current status of the fire that began in Fourmile Canyon on Monday morning before scorching thousands of acres and destroying an unknown number of homes.
Firefighters hoped to contain the fire through the night, keeping the blaze to the 3,500 acres reported at about 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Officials have been working through the night to get a handle on the fire’s current size and the extent of the damage, according to a staff member at the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center. An update on the condition of the fire is scheduled for 9 a.m.
After winds died down Monday afternoon, three aircraft were able to fly 18 sorties and drop 40,000 gallons of fire retardant, according to Boulder County officials.
Slurry bombers were transferred to the tanker base at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield and were active Monday, said Steve Segin, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, which manages the fleet of slurry bombers.
Three planes were available, including two heavy tankers capable of carrying 2,000 to 3,000 gallons. They were flown in from airfields in Grand Junction and Rapid City, S.D.
“They’re available, but they might not fly,” Segin said. “What these aircraft are used for are slowing things down and reinforcing the line.”
If the Fourmile Fire is contained or controlled, the planes could be transferred to other hotspots around the country, Segin said.
Those aircraft will be fighting to drop as much retardant as possible before winds pick up again this afternoon. The wind today is expected to blow between 5 and 13 mph before increasing a bit this evening with gusts up to 21 mph, according to the National Weather Service. There is no chance of precipitation in today’s forecast.
An emergency shelter was set up last night at the Coors Event Center on the University of Colorado campus, but only 12 people took advantage of it, according to Boulder County spokeswoman Barbara Halpin. All other emergency shelters initially set up by the Red Cross have been closed because most evacuated residents made arrangements to stay elsewhere.
Boulder Canyon Drive is open this morning in both directions, but Fourmile Canyon Drive and Sugarloaf Road remain closed. Lefthand Canyon Drive and James Canyon Drive have also been reopened from U.S. 36 to Jamestown. But Lefthand Canyon Drive remains closed between Lee Hill drive and Lick Skillet Road.
The Boulder Valley School District has closed its mountain schools today, which include Gold Hill, Jamestown and Nederland elementary schools, as well as Nederland Middle/Senior High school. All Boulder Valley mountain school bus routes that serve schools in Boulder are also canceled.
Boulder County has set up an incident call center to assist residents affected by the fire. The number for the center is 303-413-7737, and residents are asked to call this number instead of 911 unless there is an emergency to report.
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