NEDERLAND — Hundreds of Boulder County residents are being evacuated Saturday as firefighters battle the 266-acre Cold Springs fire outside Nederland.
Tall plumes of thick white and gray smoke billowed from the green mountainsides and forced the evacuation of at least 630 people, according to Boulder city officials.
The evacuations began just before 3:30 p.m. on the Peak to Peak Highway toward Ridge Road north of Nederland, about two hours after the first reports of a fire.
At 4:15 p.m., fire officials estimated the size of the burn at 100-acres and it continued to steadily grow throughout the evening in the south and east direction, reaching 266 acres at 8:30 p.m.
Two structures are confirmed destroyed so far, according to county officials, with a third on fire early in the evening. Dozens of other homes are being threatened by the flames.
No part of the fire is contained and officials are worried the situation may worsen Sunday as weather conditions are expected to be hot, dry and breezy.
One hundred firefighters from various agencies battled the blaze and a new crew is expected Sunday, officials reported. Three aircraft buzzed the fire for hours seeking to contain the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.
Nederland High School, at 597 Eldora Road, is serving as the evacuation shelter and remained open overnight. Leslie Brodhead is one of roughly 100 residents who evacuated to the school and awaited word on the status of their homes.
“When I first saw the fire … it was kind of like of a giant mushroom cloud,” said Brodhead, 52, the coordinator of the Nederland Mining Museum.
Brodhead learned of the fire when her husband in Boulder called to report smoke in the canyon near their house on Cougar Run. She immediately sped home to get their two dogs and two cats.
A mile from the house, “all I could see is black and gray smoke,” she said.
Along with her husband, who met her at home, Brodhead packed the car with valuable items — papers, laptops and boxes of keepsakes — and loaded them in the car with the pets as a shadowy light filtered through the smoke-laden air. It tasted like ash.
They fled down a back road built for fire evacuations. “It was an absolute caravan of people,” she said.
This is the mandatory evac zone. Anyone in the zone should go to Ned HS. If you feel unsafe, self-evacuate.
— Boulder Office of Disaster Management (@BoulderOEM)
The subdivisions being evacuated include Bonanza Mountain Estates, Cold Springs, Whispering Pines, St. Anton Highlands and Silver Springs.
Other emergency shelters are located at the Gilpin County Fairground or Rec Center. People who need to evacuate large animals can take them to the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont. The non-emergency call center for Boulder emergency management is 303-413-7730.
Colorado State Patrol is helping with .
Xcel Energy reported power outages starting at 2:55 p.m. affecting customers in Nederland, Boulder, Eldora, Jamestown and Ward. About 575 remained without power at 7 p.m.
Boulder County also announced that it is enforcing a fire ban.
And the Boulder Peak Triathlon scheduled for Sunday is canceled because of the fire.
We currently have 3 wildfires working in Boulder County. 1 @ Peak to Peak and sugarloaf and 2 at 287 and Yellowstone.
— Executive Director CFHF, Retired Div. Chief (@HeidiPrentup)
Photo of the from Hurricane Hill via
— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars)
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for western borders of the state in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday and again Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. because of gusty winds and low humidity that could cause “existing or new fires to grow rapidly and be difficult to control.”
At Nederland High School, evacuees learned of the fire from neighbors and a reverse 911 call that ordered the evacuation.
From the makeshift shelter — packed with pets and families — the smoke plumes were still visible before the sun set. The evacuees get nervous when the smoke turns black because they worried a building is burning, while white smoke usually means trees and brush are on fire. Helicopters and single-engine air tankers are buzzing around, making multiple passes over the area.
Connie Howard was in Boulder when she got the reverse 911 call. Her neighbors evacuated her two dogs.
“There are a lot of homes in that area,” she said from the high school, “and there’s a lot of homes gone, but being scared really doesn’t do much.”
Many of the people say they are experienced fire people.
Patrick Weeks said his home is located in the area where officials believe the fire started. He said he’s used to wildfires, but that doesn’t make the threat any easier. “Unfortunately you don’t ever get used to them,” he said.
“I’m scared,” said Pat Latham as she stood outside the evacuation center. “This is closer than any other fire we’ve had before.”