BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — All evacuation orders have been lifted as firefighters made ground on a wildfire southwest of Boulder that destroyed at least two structures.
The Lake Shore Fire, burning off Lake Shore Park Road near Gross Reservoir, was seven acres. While an exact containment percentage was not available, Rick Tillery, public information officer with Mountain View Fire Rescue, told Denver7 crews are "comfortable enough to leave the scene... The area is secure."
On Thursday morning, the Boulder Office of Disaster Management said all road closures have been lifted as fire officials said during a Wednesday evening press conference that firefighters felt confident about containment.
Mountain View Fire Rescue crews stayed on the scene overnight into Thursday, and were expected to be relieved by a new set of firefighters at 8 a.m.
On Wednesday some evacuation orders were lifted.
Boulder officials said residents should expect to see firefighting equipment in the area and Xcel Energy crews were working to restore gas service.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said it is in contact with two individuals regarding the start of the fire. They don't believe it was intentionally set, but it was human-caused.
Wildfire
Several Colorado jurisdictions, including RMNP, enact fire bans due to wildfires
Evacuees were told to go to 1333 Iris Ave in north Boulder or the Nederland Community Center, while people with farm or ranch animals were told by Boulder Office of Disaster Management (ODM) officials to take their livestock to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden or the Gilpin County Fairgrounds in Black Hawk.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office spokesman Vinnie Montez, in a video posted on social media Wednesday afternoon, warned residents to avoid Flagstaff Road, which was closed to all traffic because of the fire. As of 7:30 p.m., Flagstaff Road remains closed westbound from 5748 Flagstaff Road (Mountain View Fire Rescue station) to Gross Dam Road. Lake Shore Drive remains closed, starting at Gross Dam Road. Gross Dam Road has reopened.
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks closed trails on Flagstaff Mountain Wednesday just after 5:15 p.m. because of the Lake Shore Fire. You can see which ones were closed here.
Walker Ranch and the Gross Reservoir were also closed to recreation because of the blaze, according to Boulder County Open Space and Denver Water officials.
The NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research's Mesa Lab and the road to the building were also closed to staff and the public as of 5 p.m. Wednesday until further notice.
AirTracker7 flew over the scene of the blaze, now dubbed the Lake Shore Fire, and captured what appeared to be a structure that had already been lost to the flames, though information about losses to property were not immediately confirmed by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Officials later told Denver7 that two structures were burned, and at least one of them was a home.
In an update posted by Mountain View Fire Rescue on Facebook, fire officials said "at least two structures" had been "impacted" by the fire. The fire rescue agency was one of multiple others responding to fight the wildfire.
Boulder County residents near the wildfire were urged to text BOCOinfo to 888777 for updates and check BoulderODM.gov for more information.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.
