The Fourmile Canyon Fire is not completely out, but it is now 100 percent contained, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.
As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, residents are being allowed to return to their homes, or what is left of them, inside the originally evacuated area, according to a Boulder County news release.
There are still significant safety threats that returning residents should be aware of. Although residents are being allowed to return, they must obtain passes to enter their neighborhoods, according to the news release. Passes are available at the Boulder County Justice Center during normal business hours.
In many areas there is still no electricity or water available, so Boulder County is providing portable toilets and wash stations, dumpsters for solid waste collection, drinking water and clean water for other sanitary purposes and emergency phone service, according to the news release.
Other resources being offered include mental health and grief counseling at the assistance center, according to a news release. The assistance center is located at Boulder County’s Sundquist Building, 3482 N. Broadway.
The assistance center, which is being staffed by the American Red Cross and the Mental Health Center of Boulder County, is providing food and basic needs assistance, longer-term housing options for people who have lost their homes, insurance claim advice, senior services for those age 60 and older and coordination with local non-profit organizations to provide clothing and other basic needs, as well as other services, according to the news release.
The cause of the fire, which began at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 6, is believed at this point to be from a local resident’s fire pit within the 7100 block of Fourmile Canyon, according to a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office news release.
According to the news release, the resident attempted to put out the fire, but the high winds on Sept. 6 are believed to have reignited the embers and blown them out of the fire pit. Investigations are still under way to determine if charges will be pressed. In order for charges to be pursued, the responsible person would have had to have acted in a reckless or criminally negligent manner.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the resident’s name at this point and has said only that he is a “life long member of the community” and they do not believe he is a danger to the public.
According to InciWeb, the fire has cost $10.2 million at this point. According to a Boulder County news release, the fire destroyed 169 structures, the majority of which were homes.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Ellie Bean at Beanee@colorado.edu.
