Some residents in and near Allenspark were told to prepare for evacuation amid a 6-acre wildfire that burned Tuesday in western Boulder County.
More than 100 responders were on the wildfire scene trying to get a handle on the blaze as of about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to a on X. The wildfire, dubbed the Dry Creek Fire, was holding at about 6 acres as of about 2 p.m., spokesperson Carrie Haverfield said.
Residents who live north or east of Colorado 7 in the Allenspark area stretching toward Lyons were told to be prepared to leave or leave then, should they have needed extra time, according to a pair of , the county’s emergency notification system. Those alerts remained in place as of mid-Tuesday afternoon.
Crews were using aircraft and dropping flame retardant to stop the blaze, but found difficulty in trying to get hoses and water to the fire because of how remote and rough the area is, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Fortunately, weather has been favorable for a fire response, the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social post.
Drivers were asked to be careful driving along Colorado 7 in the area while crews got equipment in and out, Haverfield added.
The fire was first reported around 7 a.m., Lefthand Fire Protection District Chief Chris O’Brien said in a phone call. It burned in the area of the Dry Saint Vrain Trail east of Allenspark, west of Lyons and in U.S. Forest Service land between the South Sheep and Coffintop mountains, according to a to X.
O’Brien, the Lefthand chief, said Lyons personnel used a drone to find the fire. The fire was in the wilderness and so wasn’t a major threat to the community as of about 9:40 a.m., he added.
Smoke could be seen from Lyons, Allenspark and in between, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Vinnie Montez said in the post. As far as southwest Longmont, thin patches of smoke could also be seen drifting south from around the Twin Peaks around 10:15 a.m.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
