Boulder, Colo., warns of possible spread of fire into city

BOULDER, Colo. -- Boulder residents were warned to be ready to evacuate Thursday as officials feared a wildfire that has destroyed at least 169 homes in the nearby foothills could get pushed into the city by wind gusts expected to reach 60 mph.

People who live west of Broadway, the main north-south road on Boulder's west side, were urged to clear out lawn furniture and propane tanks, mow tall grass and move extra brush from the west side of their homes to avoid the possibility of fueling the fire. The city was mowing grass in open spaces.

"This is absolutely a precaution. But it's an active fire. High winds are expected," emergency management team spokesman Dan Rowland said.

In steep canyons about five miles west of the city, firefighters were trying to secure fire lines around a 10-square-mile blaze that started Monday and was quickly fanned by gusty winds.

Wind gusts could blow away the little moisture the area has seen and spread the fire beyond the 20-mile perimeter.

"The wind event tonight, we could be off to the races," said Rob Bozeman, field observer with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District.

Broadway is home to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal laboratory that's best known for running the atomic clock that's used to maintain the official U.S. time. Employees there were allowed to leave work if they needed to go home to prepare for possible evacuation, spokesman James Burrus said.

The edge of the University of Colorado campus is on the eastern side of Broadway, while many sorority and fraternity houses are on the western side.

This isn't the first time that Boulder has faced a wildfire threat. The northern part of the city escaped unscathed in January 2009.

In the foothills, authorities had hoped to temporarily allow hundreds of residents in the evacuation area to go home to pick up pets and supplies, but only some got through before the plan was suspended when winds picked up earlier than expected.

Nine people had been reported missing in the fire zone, but Cmdr. Rick Brough said they all have been accounted for.

About 3,500 people have been out of their homes for four days, and some residents have been frustrated with a lack of information about what was happening behind fire lines or because they couldn't do more to help. Some have gotten around roadblocks by hiking and biking in to check on their homes.

Brough said one person caught sneaking in was led away in handcuffs. He acknowledged authorities didn't have enough resources to force everyone to leave again if they refused to do so.

The fire has burned 6,365 acres. Damage in about 20 percent of that area still has not been assessed.

The reported loss of homes already surpasses that of the 2002 Hayman fire in southern Colorado that was the most destructive in the state's history. That fire destroyed 133 homes and 466 outbuildings on 138,000 acres of more sparsely populated area that includes national forest land.

Firefighters took advantage of cooler weather and light rain to attack the wildfire Wednesday, and air tankers dumped fire retardant on the flames. About 100,000 gallons of retardant have been used, with firefighting costs reaching $2.1 million so far.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Fire managers said as many as 500 firefighters and support personnel are at the scene, with more on the way. Laura McConnell, spokeswoman for the management team, said crews are dealing with downed power lines, debris, poison ivy and rattlesnakes. They also have to watch for propane tanks that could explode.