BOULDER — Smoke billowed through the streets of downtown Boulder on Sunday as crews battled a wildfire on the western edge of town.
The 2-acre fire was contained about 5 p.m. after hikers spotted flames at 2:30 p.m. near a peak in Settlers’ Park on the west end of Pearl Street near Canyon Boulevard. The hours were tense as winds whipped the flames on the hillside, with 1,382 homes within a half-mile of the fire, officials said.
“With this being right near the heart of the city, we are definitely concerned with containing this quickly,” said Sarah Huntley, a fire department spokeswoman.
No one was hurt, but about 50 people were in the park when the fire started, officials said.
About 120 firefighters fought the blaze and called in an air tanker. After two drops, the fire department called off the air defense, Huntley said.
“Because of the rocky terrain, the firefighters decided they had to fight it on the ground,” Huntley said.
Firefighters sprayed trees with water from a high-pressure hose to form a “wet line” between the fire and the nearest neighborhoods.
The cause of the fire has not been officially determined, but officials think it was caused by humans.
“There simply were no natural weather conditions at the time that could have caused this,” Huntley said.
About 15 firefighters planned to stay in the park overnight to watch for hot spots and flare-ups.
The fire stayed low to the ground, burning mostly grass and brush as it pushed through the trees, staying about 2 to 3 feet high, said Commander Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The “gusting and swirling” winds hampered efforts to contain the fire.
Winds along the Front Range gusted at up to 40 mph Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Most of Colorado is under a “red flag” warning, denoting a high wildfire risk, according to the National Weather Service. Hot, dry temperatures have raised wildfire dangers across the state over the past week.
