Jamestown and other parts of northwest Boulder County were evacuated Saturday as the Cal-Wood Fire grew to more than 7,000 acres and is still at 0% containment Saturday night.
The fire was first reported at noon near the Cal-Wood Education Center at 2282 County Road 87 Saturday afternoon, and a cause and point of origin have not yet been determined.
Boulder County sheriff’s Division Chief Mike Wagner did say Saturday night that there were no lightning strikes in the area, so the fire was likely not weather-related.
Per scanner traffic, fire crews estimated the fire to be at 3,000 acres at 3 p.m., and by 8:20 p.m. officials estimated it to be at 7,064 acres in size.
While there were several social media accounts of houses in the area burning, officials said they have not been able to confirm whether any structures were lost at this time.
But Wagner said late Saturday that based on the path of the fire, officials believe it is likely “multiple” houses were lost.
“We believe a number of structures were likely impacted,” Wagner said.
Boulder County sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Haverfield said earlier Saturday that crews did not have any containment on the fire, which was not unusual for the first 24 hours.
“Wind was a factor,” Haverfield said. “We’ve had strong winds throughout the day, which caused the fire to push quickly.”
The National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Mesa lab recorded gusts of up to 59 mph in Boulder County on Saturday.
In addition to Jamestown, the evacuation area includes areas north of Jamestown east through Altona.
However, evacuation orders for all areas east of North Foothills Highway were lifted at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
In total, Boulder County officials said 1,646 residences were within the mandatory evacuation area, with a population of 2,984 people.
Pre-evacuation warnings have been sent to areas south of Jamestown west of North Foothills Highway, and a complete evacuation map can be found at bouldercounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=13ab214fe2bb4da5a850df0ca0f00fc5.
Residents of Lyons have also been advised to be ready to evacuate if the fire changes directions Sunday, but at this time no mandatory orders have been issued for the town.
Wagner said the plan for Sunday was for aerial crews to hit the fire “as hard as they can” before winds picked back up later in the day. Wagner said officials did not know exactly how many units were brought in to fight the fire because of how quickly they started arriving.
This comes as fire crews are still fighting the nearby Cameron Peak Fire and the East Troublesome Fire.
“Firefighting resources are just spread really thin across the West in general,” Wagner said.
An evacuation point has been set up at Boulder County’s North Broadway Complex at 3460 N. Broadway where evacuees can find information, and will reopen at 9 a.m. Sunday.
Pets are allowed at that point, or they can be taken to The Humane Society of Boulder Valley at 2323 55th St. Livestock can be taken to the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont.
The fire also caused several road closures in the area, including South St. Vrain between Peak to Peak Highway and Lyons, including Riverside Drive. County Road 87 is also closed.
U.S. 36 will remain closed between Boulder and Lyons overnight. Lee Hill Road is closed at Lefthand Canyon, as is Olde Stage Road.
Per scanner traffic, the main fire or spot fires had flared up east of North Foothills Highway near Lake of the Pines.
Road closures for #CalWoodFire
-Overland @ CR 87
-Overland @ Peak To Peak
-Lefthand Canyon @ James Canyon
-Peak To Peak @ Hwy7
-South St. Vrain @ Old South St. Vrain
-Lefthand Canyon & Hwy 36
-Hwy 36 @ Hwy 66— Boulder OEM (@BoulderOEM) October 17, 2020
Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch trails were already evacuated and were later closed. Lagerman Agricultural Preserve, Pella Crossing and Anne U. White Trail on Boulder County open space also were closed as the fire advanced.
Officials advised people to avoid the area to allow first responders room to work.
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse announced FEMA has authorized federal funds to help fight the fire through a Fire Management Assistance Grant.
“As our state continues to experience these devastating wildfires, it is critical that the federal government provide critical assistance when additional funding and resources are needed,” Neguse said in a statement. “I am relieved to see this funding come through and I know it will bring much needed relief to our state and will support those on the ground with the necessary resources. And I thank all of the brave firefighters who are out there every single day to protect our state from these catastrophic wildfires.”
"wood" - Google News
October 18, 2020 at 09:24AM
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Jamestown, parts of northwest Boulder County evacuated as Cal-Wood Fire grows to 7,000 acres - Loveland Reporter-Herald
"wood" - Google News
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