Fire Near Boulder, Colorado (Witness Report)

Self | 29 Oct 2003 | coloradan

[coloradan]

Today there are very strong winds on the front range in Colorado, and a fire is conspicuously visible in the mountains near Jamestown, northwest of Boulder.

Apparently Colorado has sent a majority of fire-fighting aircraft to California, so they aren't here. The fire is out of control.

[Rocky Mountain High]

WTF?
Another arson, no doubt. Where do you live?

[Semper Paratus]

I hear Davis hasn't used all the planes he already has.

[dirtboy]

Yeah, I saw the forecast out there and said "uh, oh" - red flag day in the foothills, winds 20-30 mph, gusts to 75 mph, relative humidity in the 10-15 percent range. Bad news all around.

[coloradan]

I heard a rumor it was started by power lines downed by the winds, can't confirm. I moved out of Boulder and live near Longmont. Not threatened at this time. But the smoke column is huge, and there has been no precipitation for the last month or two.

[dirtboy]

Jamestown Evacuated Due To Fire

Oct 29, 2003 10:00 am US/Mountain
JAMESTOWN, Colo. (AP) A wildfire erupted in the Colorado foothills near Jamestown early Wednesday, prompting authorities to evacuate the town.

The 30-acre fire 10 miles northwest of Boulder was threatening several homes and structures at a Denver Public Schools outdoor education center.

It was also growing as 50 mph winds pushed it to the east, Boulder County sheriff's Lt. Phil West said. Smoke was hanging over Longmont, miles away.

About 65 firefighters and commanders from 10 agencies were at the scene and more are on the way, West said. The mountain slopes in the area a few miles northwest of Boulder are tinder-dry. The cause of the blaze wasn't immediately known.

Agencies in the area are slightly low on firefighters and equipment because many have been sent to California to help firefighters there, said Bruce Mygatt, fire chief of the Boulder Rural Fire Protection District.

"We're not dangerously low, but we are low on personnel and smaller truck apparatus for these type of fires," he said. "For now, they seem to have ample resources up there."

A Jamestown elementary school was designated as an evacuation center.

About 70 people, including 58 fifth-graders from Denver Public Schools on an overnight trip at the Balarat Outdoor Education Center, were driven out of the area, Balarat spokesman Patrick Emery said.

He said the fire started about a mile from the center's front gate, or nearly two miles from any structures at the center. He said none of the structures was threatened.

Authorities said about 20 children from the Calwood Ranch school, a private school for boys near Balarat, were safely evacuated.

The National Weather Service forecast temperatures Wednesday in the low 80s, with gusty winds. An overnight gust of 70 mph was recorded in nearby Nederland and a gust of 81 mph hit a ridge west of the fire.

Scattered snow, lower winds and cold were expected across northern Colorado by Thursday.

[Rocky Mountain High]

We're supposed to get snow on Thursday,at least here in Colorado Springs. It has been windy as heck today.

[scab4faa]

I live in Loveland and work in Longmont and the view here is amazing the plume of smoke reaches all the way from the mountains and is covering longmont is a balnket of orange smoke..

[dirtboy]

JAMESTOWN, Colo. (as of 1pm) -- A wildfire burning about 10 miles northwest of Boulder grew dramatically Wednesday, forcing fire officials to order a mandatory evacuation of the entire town of Jamestown and its nearby residences, 7NEWS reported.

Embers from the original fire, which started near Overland Road and county Road 87, were carried by high winds to another area about 4 miles east, where a second blaze erupted, fire officials confirmed.

Both fires are very volatile and growing with flames torching, leaping from treetop to treetop.

"Right now, today, it's tough to predict which way this is going to go. This is a heavy, populated area, we're real close to town," said Joe Pelle, Boulder County Sheriff. "So we're treating this with kid gloves. We're worried about it right now."

The blaze, which has been named the Overland Fire, has grown to 60 acres and threatens dozens of homes. About 250 people live in Jamestown.

Officials are most worried about the strong, unpredictable winds, which keep shifting, making it difficult for fire crews digging containment lines to maintain a constant position and make progress, 7NEWS reported.

No damage or injuries have been reported, but officials aren't taking any chances with 50 mph winds so they have ordered everyone in the area to evacuate.

The Red Cross has set up an emergency evacuation center at the National Guard Armory at Broadway and Lee Hill Road.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office used reverse 911 Wednesday morning to alert residents in a 2-mile radius about the first fire. Some people who were closest to the fire, including some living near James Canyon Road, were ordered to clear out.

About 100 students from the Calwood Ranch Nature Education Camp and the Balarat Outdoor Education Center were also evacuated. Some students were bused back to their schools while other evacuees gathered at Jamestown Elementary School. Denver Public Schools, which operates the Balarat Outdoor Education Center, said that the 58 fifth-graders at the site were there on an overnight trip to learn environmental studies and outdoor skills.

"A neighbor came and told us that there was a fire below us and we drove down to see what was going on and we could see the flames right on the road," said Barbara Petruzzi, a Boulder County resident. "The flames are actually above Jamestown ... but the winds were blowing down towards Jamestown. It's got a little ways, but with the winds, you just don't know."

About 65 firefighters and commanders from 10 agencies are at the scene and more are being dispatched because of the high winds, authorities said. Fire engines are stationed in several neighborhoods in case the fire climbs over a ridge and reaches that area.

Firefighters fear that today's heavy winds could increase to 50 mph and fan the flames out of control and across dry mountain slopes in the area.

The area was under a high wind watch overnight. A gust of 70 mph was recorded in nearby Nederland, and a gust of 81 mph was recorded on Niwot Ridge, also in Boulder County. That's scheduled to continue through the day, in advance of an oncoming cold front.

A high wind warning has also been issued for Clear Creek, Douglas, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Jefferson, Larimer, Park, Summit and Weld counties.

Boulder Rural Fire Protection Agency Capt. Mike McNamara said that although Boulder County did send firefighters and fire engines to help with the California wildfires, the fire departments are not stripped and do have enough resources to fight the blaze.

However, the department is trying to hire a private helicopter to help out and make water drops because all of the available aircraft were dispatched to southern California to fight those infernos. But even if a helicopter is contracted, it might not be able to fly if the winds stay as strong as they are, 7NEWS reported.

Residents said that strong winds overnight knocked over a power line and that is what sparked the fire. That has not been confirmed by officials.

There are phone and power outages in the area but Xcel is working on repairs, McNamara said.

Overland Road above Jamestwon was closed. The only access out of Overland Road is the Peak to Peak Highway, also known as Highway 72.

Smoke from the fire can be seen over the mostly pine-covered hills. This is the second brush fire in less then 24 hours in the Boulder area.

The fire, first discovered around 5 a.m., is burning on private and Forest service land. Firefighting crews from Jamestown, Lefthand, Mountain View, Four Mile, Indian Peaks, Boulder Rural, Sugar loaf, and Eldorado Springs Fire Protection Districts are at the scene, as are representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the United States Forest Service.

[Ditter]

I have a niece in Boulder & another in Longmont. Are the winds blowing sparks toward you or away from you?

[digerati]

A new fire raging in Daniels Park in Douglas County, Colorado. From local TV online coverage:

Cherokee Fire:

The Cherokee fire broke out after noon in Douglas County, News 4 reports.

The Cherokee Ranch subdivision was being evacuated. South Metro fire officials told News 4 it was burning east of Highway 85 near Daniels Park.

A large plume of smoke was visible from Highway 85 at 1:30 p.m.

[The Green Goblin]

I can smell the smoke from it in my office here in Longmont.

[scab4faa]

JAMESTOWN – Gusty winds have spread a wildfire burning near Jamestown to 500 acres. Officials decided shortly before noon to evacuate the entire town as a precaution.


The town is in the foothills 10 miles northwest of Boulder. The fire was 60 acres at noon and has continued to grow rapidly.

[The Green Goblin]

The town is in the foothills 10 miles northwest of Boulder

Yep. I drive by it everyday on my way to work...

[Spottys Spurs]

My son and his wife live near Rt. 36 and the Diagonal Hwy and he says the whole sky is lite up and fierce winds..

[mollynme]

Does anyone remember an article on FR recently about someone claiming that terrorists had plans to plant incendiary devices around the western US that would go off after they had left the country? Hmm.

[mallardx]

I'm here in fruitcakeland; KBCO just reported 500 acres; it's been super windy all day here, and last night. The plume is getting rather large. Could have started from someone's chimney, a lot of people burn wood in the foothills and forests west of here. This doesn't look like terrorism at this point. It has been super dry here for the last couple of months, and the forests really dried out two winters ago, so moisture content is still very low in the forests here.

And, to cap it all off, we lost our duck lease this year. Does anybody on the Front Range wanna trade some duck hunting if I show you my pheasant spots in Nebraska, or my blue grouse spots here in Boulder County???

[mallardx]

Plume is running right through Longmont, headed west to east. I hear it's real smoky in Longmont, nothing dangerous...

[Ditter]

Thanks for the report.

[dljordan]

I'm over here near the Longmont airport and the air is getting BAD. They had winds of 80 mph last night in the mountains. I understand that we've got three fire burning now.