Last updated on Sept. 12 at 11:40 a.m.
Some good news has finally come to Boulder County as firefighters begin to contain the fire that has burned over 6,427 acres so far.
According to Boulder Rescue, 73 percent of the blaze that has been burning since early Monday morning has been contained. This percentage was achieved thanks to the effort of fire and safety crews, and some rainstorms that came through the area Wednesday afternoon.
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Some thought progress would be made as residents of Boulder Heights, Pine Brook Hills, Carriage Hills, Lee Hill Drive and Old Stage Road were let back into those areas at 10 Thursday morning. But Boulder Office of Emergency Management recently announced that those areas will need to be re-evacuated at 2:00 p.m. Thursday due to high winds.
As of 9 a.m. on Friday the following subdivisions are opened again: Pine Brook Hills, Boulder Heights, Carriage Hills, Old Stage Road, Lee Hill Drive, Sunshine Canyon and Fourmile Canyon drives to Poorman Road (including Poorman Road); Gold Hill Road to Switzerland Trail (Switerland Trail remains closed);
Sugarloaf Road with limited access to the north (Mountain Meadows will be open); and Lefthand Canyon Road with restricted access from the south, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.
Power remains off in those areas and residents are encouraged to stay on alert. They will be asked to bring identification and should be ready to re-evacuate if necessary, according to the BOEM.
Click here for a map of the fire in relation to the City of Boulder.
So far 169 homes have burned and $6.7 million has been spent on the fire, Though the structural damage has been great, Boulder Rescue has confirmed that all previously missing people have been accounted for.
Boulder residents have reached out to those that have been affected. An assistance center has been set up for the victims of the fire at 3482 N. Broadway, and Boulder Rescue has also asked that those wanting to make donations call 211. That number can also be used for residents that have been displaced or need assistance.
The university is reaching out to CU students affected by the fire.
“We did a search for what CU students were living in that zip code, and we are doing outreach to them,” said Malinda Miller-Huey, spokeswoman for CU.
The university has also sent out emails to all students with fire updates, and Wardenburg has been offering assistance to those affected by the smoke that has hung over Boulder.
“We had a lot of calls about asthma and bronchitis,” said Donald Misch, assistant vice chancellor for Health and Wellness. “As of yesterday, we think we saw 18 or 19 kids with asthma issues. We have tracked down most of our kids with asthma and sent them e-mails.”
For how the fire affects residents of Boulder, especially those with respiratory issues, Misch said it depends on the individual.
“It depends on wind and weather and you,” he said. “You need to be sensitive to symptoms. “
He said that he feels that university has done a good job helping out those in need.
“The university has been very responsive to faculty, staff, and students,” he said. “They needed a place for evacuees and the university just opened up the Coors Events Center.”
Misch was among the evacuees who went to the Events Center, as his family had to be evacuated from their home in Pine Brook.
For more updates on the wildfire, visit the Boulder Office of Emergency Management website.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.
