Live blog: Flagstaff Fire one ridge away from entering Boulder ...

Posted on: 3:21 pm, June 26, 2012, by Web Staff, updated on: 01:05pm, June 27, 2012

Flagstaff Fire. June 26, 2012.

Live Blog: Hit refresh for updates

Official updates from Boulder Office of Emergency Management

June 27 12:30pm: Officials are requesting that residents who live in pre-evacuation areas and whose property backs to Open Space turn on their sprinklers as soon as possible and leave them on. While the fire is not threatening homes or structures at this time, turning the sprinklers on will help homeowners create defensible space around their houses. This will help?firefighters if the fire continues to burn eastward.

June 27 9:30am: Information about donating or volunteering to help fire victims or firefighting efforts: HelpColoradoNow.org. You can also call 211 in your community.

June 27 9:20am: Boulder cancels Fourth of July fireworks in wake of Flagstaff Fire, dry and hot conditions.

June 27 8:20am: Fire had very little growth overnight. Aerial attack started at 8 a.m. with seven aircraft including five tankers. 250 personnel from 32 agencies are on scene. They will focus on public safety, structure protection and building fire lines on the southwest side of the fire today. Officials say if an evacuation order goes out, people are expected to leave immediately. More news briefing highlights:

• Fire is 1 1/2 miles from Boulder city limits
• No homes are immediately threatened
• Officials concerned about weather today? possibility of thunderstorms could bring wind that would negatively impact aerial attack
• 28 homes evacuated, nearly 2,500 pre-evacuation notices issued
• Conditions ?unprecedented? as far as dry weather is concerned

June 27 7:20am: For more information on evacuated animals and how you can help them, visit the Humane Society of Boulder Valley?s website.

June 27 7:17am: From Boulder County: Fire now estimated at 230 acres, according to infrared flyover. Still 0-percent containment.?250 firefighting personnel are working the fire from 50 agencies. Weather today calls for 15-20 mph winds with gusts of 25. Humidity is 15-20 percent and scattered thunderstorms are possible this afternoon.

June 27 6:40am:

• The fire is one ridge away from the city limits of Boulder
• The blaze is still 0-percent contained
• 200 people remain evacuated near Flagstaff road
• Some flames are visible from south Boulder
• An evacuation center is set up at New Vista High School at 700 20th Street near Broadway and Baseline Road.
• Media briefing scheduled for 8 a.m.
• Current temperature as of 6:40 am: 81 degrees. Wind gusts at 15 mph at that same time.

Flames visible from south Boulder early Wednesday

June 26 9:40pm:

• Only 26 homes have been evacuated near Bison Drive and Kossler Lake.
• A total of 2,416 reverse notifications have been sent to people in and around the affected area.
• Three helicopters and two tanker planes were working the fire until sunset.
• About 100 firefighters are on the ground doing structure protection through the night.
• The fire is burning in upper Skunk Canyon. just west of the NIST/NOAA campus, and expected to produce smoke in Boulder through the night.
• A Federal Type 1 team is expected to take over management of the fire on Wednesday.
• All Pets Animal Hospital, 5290 Manhattan Circle, 303-499-5335, is open 24 hours and is accepting small animals. In the case of an evacuation, small animals can be dropped off at All Pets if their owners are unable to take them with them in the case of an evacuation.
• No structures are threatened at this time.
• There are no reported injuries and there is zero percent containment of the approximately 300 acre fire.

June 26 9:23PM: #FlagstaffFire is burning in Upper Skunk Canyon, just west of NIST/NOAA, and expected to produce smoke in Boulder through the night. Only the original 26 homes that were evacuated near Bison Drive have been evacuated. A remaining 2,416 notifications were sent out to city residents near Flagstaff to remain on standby in case of a change in fire direction and behavior overnight. The Emergency Operations Center will remain open on a 24/7 basis until further notice.

June 26 8:15PM: Information about steps individuals can take to protect themselves from negative health effects related to the smoke is available at: http://www.bouldercounty.org/env/air/pages/wildfire.aspx

June 26 8:00PM: The Red Cross has closed the evacuation center at New Vista High School and established an evacuation center and overnight shelter at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive. People impacted by the fire who need information and/or a place to stay overnight are encouraged to go to that location.

June 26 8:00PM: Fire officials have provided an update on attack efforts. The fire has consumed an estimated 228 acres and is moving east in both the north and south directions. There are about 200 firefighters working this incident at this time from the following agencies: Rocky Mountain Fire, Coal Creek Fire, City of Boulder Fire, Boulder County Fire, Arapahoe and Roosevelt Forest Service, the Colorado State Fire Service, Lafayette Fire, Longmont Fire, Boulder Rural Fire, Boulder Emergency Squad and the Longmont Emergency Unit. The incident is currently being managed by the Boulder County Type 3 Incident Management Team.

Air attacks continue to be the primary strategy for as long as daylight remains. There are currently three Type 1 helicopters, one Type 3 helicopter, two heavy air tankers, a lead plane and an air attack plane working the fire.

A federal Type 1 team is expected to take over command sometime tomorrow morning.

June 26 7:48PM: The Red Cross has opened a shelter at the East Boulder Recreation Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, in Boulder, in response to the Flagstaff Fire. A full shelter team will be on site to help accommodate evacuees.

7:15PM UPDATE: Three spot fires are visible on the eastern side of the ridge behind NCAR. A task force of 40 firefighters are headed to the area of upper Table Mesa to attack these fires and create defensible space for homes and structures in the vicinity. Winds are now blowing to the northeast and have picked up in speed.

6:10PM UPDATE: The Emergency Operations Center has activated a call center for residents and others impacted by the fire to obtain information. The phone number is 303-413-7730. People seeking fire and evacuation information are encouraged to call this number. Individuals reporting new emergencies should continue to call 911. Media should continue to contact the media line. Any help getting this phone number out to the public is much appreciated.

6:01PM UPDATE: The City of Boulder has issued 1,485 additional pre-evacuation notices to phone numbers within city limits to include the Shanahan Ridge neighborhood. This is in addition to the 931 notices previously sent out. The current boundaries are Dartmouth to the north, Greenbriar to the south, Table Mesa and foothills on the west and Broadway on the east.

Residents in this area should begin preparing for possible evacuation orders. Gather up personal belongings and pets and stay tuned for additional instructions. An evacuation center has been established at New Vista High School at Broadway and Baseline.

In addition, the City of Boulder has announced that it is closing the pool at the South Boulder Recreation Center as a result of poor air quality caused by smoke. The recreation center itself remains open. For parents with children participating in summer camps, staff are continuing to monitor the situation and will issue e-mail updates as they become available.

5:19PM: City of Boulder spokeswoman: ?Now is the time to prepare?try to get what you can.? ?This fire has been moving very quickly.?

4:52PM: Pre-evacuation notices went out to 931 City of Boulder phone numbers. The area that received calls is bordered by Dartmouth on the north, Broadway on the east, all the way to the south edge of town. People should be ready to evacuate quickly. A Type 1 Federal Incident team is on its way.

4:48PM: Pre evacuations notifications issued for the City of Boulder. Dartmouth Ave on the north, west to Table Mesa and NCAR area east to Broadway.

4:35PM: Firefighting resources include 1 heavy air tanker, 3 Type 1 helis, 1 Type 3 heli, 4 Type 1 hand crews, 50 Firefighters

4:24PM: All open space and recreational areas from Eldorado Springs to Boulder Canyon are closed until further notice

Live Blog: Hit refresh for latest updates

4:12PM: All Pets Animal Hospital is taking small animals. 303-499-5335. 5290 Manhattan Circle.

4:08PM: NCAR is voluntarily evacuating

4:05PM: Evacuations have been ordered for residents southwest of Boulder as a new wildfire spreads through dense, rough terrain behind Boulder Mountain Park.

The Flagstaff Fire was estimated at 200-300 acres as of 4 p.m.

The Boulder County Sheriff?s Office has issued evacuation orders for approximately 26 households in the area of Bison Drive and Pine Needle Notch subdivision.

Road closures:

Bison Drive from 1000 block West

Flagstaff Rd. from Baseline & 6th Ave

An evacuation center is being established at New Vista High School at 700 20th Street near Broadway and Baseline.

On Twitter #FlagstaffFire

Official updates from Boulder Office of Emergency Management

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