(Josh Shettler/CU Independent illustration)
At 11:17 A.M. on Thursday, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management tweeted that “the Boulder Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated to respond to multiple wildland fires in Boulder County.”
Fires burning near Marshall Road and Middle Fork Road, likely caused by extremely high winds throughout the day, prompted the Office of Emergency Management to issue evacuation orders to residents in danger.
The office announced that it had opened two evacuation centers at the South Boulder Rec Center at 1360 Gillaspie Drive and the Longmont Senior Center at 910 Longs Peak Ave.
A large animal evacuation center is also open at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.
The city cautioned those who can see the flames of a fire to evacuate immediately
In an Instagram post, the CU Boulder Police Department said there was a large grass fire near the university’s South Campus. The message said that emergency personnel are responding to the blaze and to “stay away.”
Lousiville and Superior, two cities neighboring Boulder are under mandatory evacuation orders. The cities have a combined population of over 30,000 people.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
