Monday morning at about 11 a.m. an ominous cloud began to loom up over the ridge beyond Red Gulch just south of Lyons. Within minutes, it was clear that a major wildfire had broken out. Fire crews from approximately 30 local agencies responded to battle the Four Mile Canyon Fire, which according to the Boulder County Incident Management Team as of Tuesday morning, has burned over 6,168 acres and multiple structures.
A press release as of Wednesday from Boulder County states that crews are engaged in “point protection” which includes protecting structures, clearing defensible space around threatened structures, and direct fire suppression. Incident Commander Don Whittemore stated, “We are deeply saddened to report that of the structures that were lost today, some of them belonged to fellow firefighters that were assisting in today’s efforts. Firefighter and public safety will remain our number one objective.” According to reports, several of the residences that were lost, were in the Gold Hill area, but crews were able to protect most of the historic mining town.
Over 500 residents have been evacuated and 3,000 additional residents are under mandatory evacuations. The Four Mile Canyon Fire is a wind driven fire burning in steep, rocky, and hard to access terrain west and north of the City of Boulder. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has asked for State and Federal assistance. A total of 100 firefighters and 35 engines are currently working the Four Mile Canyon Fire with additional resources available and responding. Aviation resources were able to assist today after the winds had calmed down. An estimated 40,000 gallons of retardant were utilized within the fire area today to assist in firefighting operations. Air operations will stop at nightfall and resume first thing on Tuesday morning.
Areas that were evacuated were west of the Peak-to-Peak Highway, east of Highway 36, south of Lefthand Canyon, and north of Boulder Canyon. Also in the communities of Sugarloaf, Pine Brook Hills, Boulder Heights, and Whispering Pines. Temporary shelters for evacuees were set up at the Coors Event Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Large animals were evacuated to the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, and small pets were housed temporarily at the Longmont and Boulder Humane Societies.
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