2 Wildfires Break Out In Boulder; Evacuations Ordered

Five is less than 5% contained. 200 firefighters expected on the line tomorrow. Evacuations to remain overnight.

Thx for the update Pineguy.

8 a.m. 10/30 - East Boulder Community Center and public libraries announce Saturday schedule
The East Boulder Community Center, Carnegie Branch Library for Local History and the Main Boulder Public Library have announced their Saturday schedules in light of the Dome Fire west of Boulder.

The East Boulder Community Center, located at 5660 Sioux Dr., is open for regular operations while being used as an overnight shelter/evacuation site. Both the senior and recreation facilities at this location will be open for regular operations and programs on Saturday, Oct. 30, with the following exceptions:
The recreation center gymnasium will be closed during site activation, and all Saturday morning swim lessons have been cancelled. These are the only impacts at this time. The status of this facility will be updated as additional information becomes available. Phone information for East Boulder Community Center, 303-441-4400.

The Main Boulder Public Library will offer usual Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Main Boulder Public Library is located at 1001 Arapahoe Ave. Main Library information: 303-441-3100. The Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, located at 1125 Pine St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Carnegie information: 303-441-3110.

7:20 a.m. 10/30 Emergency Operations Center up and running again
The Emergency Operations Center is prepared for another day of providing support to firefighters combating the Dome Fire. Twenty-two evacuees spent the night at the East Boulder Community Center, and evacuation orders remain in effect. City and county officials will continue to assess those orders throughout the day. There are currently no plans to re-establish the Call Center/Community Information public phone lines, although recorded messages with updated information will be periodically left on 303-413-7730.

10/29 8:15 p.m. Emergency Call Center Closed
The Emergency Call Center - Community Information Line for the Dome Fire is closed for the evening. The need for the call center will be reevaluated in the morning. Further updates will be posted after 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning on boulderoem.com.

10/29, 8 p.m. Dome Fire overnight status

Status of the Dome Fire (2000 hours/8 p.m., 29 Oct. 2010)

The fire is 144 acres in size.

60 firefighters, which includes three hand crews, will be working the fire overnight and building fire line for containment.

Tomorrow, 200 firefighters will work the fire and a single-engine air tanker and one helicopter will be flying fire supression sorties.

10/29 7 p.m. - Latest map available
Latest map of the fire boundary and the evacuation areas (as of 6:30 p.m. 10/29/10)

10/29 6:40 p.m. City maintains evacuations throughout the night, police will patrol area
City maintains evacuations throughout the night, police will patrol area

The City of Boulder will maintain the mandatory evacuations for all businesses and residences west of 7th Street from Canyon Boulevard on the south to North Street on the north throughout the night and until further notice.

A strong police presence will be maintained in the area to ensure evacuation compliance and to patrol all neighborhoods for potential criminal activity.

The evacuation center established at the Coors Event Center, located on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, will be closed at 8 p.m. A new shelter will be opened at 7 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive. This facility will offer overnight accommodations for people displaced by the fire and resulting evacuations.

“I know this is difficult news for residents who had hoped to return home this evening, but fire officials tell us this is necessary to ensure public safety, which remains our top priority,” said City Manager Jane S. Brautigam. “We’d like to assure residents that we are doing all we can to protect their property and will continue to monitor the fire situation carefully.”

The Dome wildfire originated near Dome Rock on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks property.

For the most up-to-date information, visit http://www.boulderoem.com/emergency-status .

10/29 6:24 p.m. - Evacuations remain in place until further notice (unincorporated Boulder County)
Boulder County will maintain existing evacuations throughout the night and until further notice. Mandatory evacuations include all residences in the below streets/subdivisions:

Canyon Park Avenue;
Sunshine- Poorman;
40511-40517 Boulder Canyon;
Eagle Drive;
7 Hills;
Granite Drive;
Timber Trail;
Green Rock; and
Willow Glen.

Many homes in these areas do not have power or phone service. Those services will be resumed when it is safe and feasible to do so.

Xcel Energy continues to work with fire officials to ensure customer safety. Xcel Energy de-energized 83 customers in the Seven Hills area this morning after they were ordered to evacuate. The Seven Hills area continues to be without power.

Additionally, power and natural gas to the Knollwood sub-division have been turned off due to the proximity of the fire. This is affecting about 94 customers in an area from Sunshine Canyon Drive and Mapleton Avenue to the north, Pearl Street to the south, 3rd Street to the east, and Knollwood Drive to the west.

In total, there are now approximately 177 electric customers and 50 gas customers without service. Xcel Energy will continue to coordinate efforts with firefighters as they work to contain the wildfires.

10/29 6:15 p.m. - New evacuee shelter location

The Red Cross will open a shelter for evacuees of the Dome Fire at 7 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive. It will be open overnight.
The evacuation center at the Coors Event Center on the CU-Boulder campus will close at 8 p.m. once all the the evacuees have been transitioned to the Community Center.
About 20-30 evacuees -- mostly senior citizens -- are expected to need to stay overnight at the Community Center shelter.
The Red Cross will provide sleeping amenities, food, emotional support and other basic needs, such as comfort kits containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc.
There is no need for donations at this time.

10/29 6 p.m. - Map of approximate fire and evacuation areas
Map of approximate fire and evacuation areas (as of 6 p.m. 10/29/10)

10/29 5:40 p.m. Hospital update
Boulder Community Hospital's Mapleton and Maxwell facilities, located at 4th and Mapleton, will be closed this weekend. The Boulder Center for Sports Medicine (BCSM) at the Mapleton Center will also be closed on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone who has scheduled an appointment at the BCSM this weekend should call 303-544-5700 on Monday to reschedule.

10/29 17:15 - Current Dome Fire Info
Dome Fire latest information (1700 hours/5 p.m., 29 Oct. 2010)

Evacuated areas:

Canyon Park Avenue
Sunshine Canyon Drive from 4th Street west to Poorman Road
40511-40517 Boulder Canyon
Eagle Drive
7 Hills
Granite Dr.
Timber Tr.
Green Rock
Willow Glen
Boulder Community Hospital complex at Maxwell and Mapleton streets (does not affect main hospital at N. Broadway).

The City of Boulder ordered evacuations west of 7th Street between Canyon Boulevard and North Street
Evacuation Site: Coors Events Center
Evacuation Parking: Colorado Avenue and Discovery and they'll shuttle to the Event Center. Evacuees can drop off passengers at the south entrance of the Event Center
139 residences in unincorporated Boulder County have been evacuated
800 (approx) units in the City of Boulder (representing about 1,700 people) have been evacuated
Coors Event Center: 33 showed up; 24 have remained

Acres burned: 134
Firefighters on the job: 165
Air Tankers: 2 and by the end of the day, they will work till dark and by the end of the day will have made 20-25 fire retardant drops.
Firefighters are assigned to structure protection and direct attack of the fire.
No structures lost
No structures threatened
No injuries reported

Weather (as of 1700 hours)
Winds out of the southeast at 17-23 mph, with gusts to 35 mph through the night.

Next media briefing: 2000 hours (29 Oct. 2010) at Boulder Reservoir

10/29 16:20 New maps of fire and evacuated areas
New maps of fire and evacuated areas available:

Map of fire and evacuated areas
Map of fire and evacuated areas w/out aerial overlays (updated as of 6 p.m. 10/29/2010)

10/29 16:15 Xcel Energy has shut off natural gas supply to the Knollwood subdivision
Xcel Energy has shut off the natural gas supply to all residences in the Knollwood area, including turning off the meter at each residence. Prior to turning the gas back on, each residence should turn its thermostat to low or off to avoid damage to the igniter when gas is restored. Fliers will be distributed to each affected home to alert residents about the actions they must take to restore natural gas at their homes. To reach Xcel, call their customer care line at 800-895-4999 24 or go to: [url=http://www.XcelEnergy.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.XcelEnergy.com[/url].

Oct. 29, 2010, 3:05 p.m. - Evacuee Parking at CU East Campus
Parking for fire evacuees arriving at the Coors Events/Conference Center on the CU-Boulder campus is available at 4001 Discovery Drive, north of Colorado Avenue. Evacuees may first drop off passengers at the south entrance of the Coors Events/Conference Center before proceeding to the designated parking lot. A Buff Bus will then shuttle evacuees back to the Coors Events/Conference Center. For a map visit: http://www.colorado.edu/pts/downloads/e ... arking.jpg

Source

8:30 a.m. 10/30 - A.M. status report for Dome Fire
Three crews consisting of 60 firefighters continued to work overnight in steep rocky terrain to secure a line for the Dome Fire. While the fire is still active, it did not advance overnight, and up to 200 firefighters will be taking a hold and maintain strategy throughout the day. Crews will continue working today on mop up and further fire suppression where residual heat and unburned fuels are present. Air support is on standby awaiting a request by Incident Command, if needed. Utility lines remain down in the burn area, and Xcel and Qwest will be touring the area this morning to assess damage and restore power and phones to the affected area.

Source

10/30 - Boulder County and City of Boulder to lift Dome Fire evacuations at 10 a.m.
Residents are advised to remain alert to emergency operations when returning home

Boulder County, Colo. – At 10 a.m. today, Boulder County and City of Boulder officials will open access to all evacuated areas for the Dome Fire. These areas include all residences that were evacuated the morning of Friday, Oct. 29 due to a wildfire that started just north of Boulder Canyon near Dome Rock.

Streets/subdivisions in unincorporated Boulder County to open at 10 a.m.:

Canyon Park Avenue
Sunshine Canyon Rd. to Poorman Rd.
40511-40517 Boulder Canyon
Eagle Drive
7 Hills
Granite Drive
Timber Trail
Green Rock
Willow Glen

Streets in City of Boulder to open at 10 a.m.:

West of 7th Street between Canyon Boulevard and North Street
Boulder Community Hospital complex at Maxwell and Mapleton streets

All open space trails in the evacuation zone will remain closed, and firefighters are asking for the public’s cooperation in staying off the trails and out of the area for recreational purposes. Firefighting operations and additional drops from the air are expected throughout the day, and air suppression is not possible if people are in the area.

Three crews consisting of 60 firefighters continued to work overnight in steep rocky terrain to secure a line for the Dome Fire. While the fire is still active, it did not advance overnight and remains at 144 acres. The fire is estimated to be 70 percent contained. Up to 150 firefighters will be working today on mop up and further fire suppression where residual heat and unburned fuels are present.

Some utility lines remain down in the burn area, and Xcel Energy and Qwest will be touring the area this morning to assess damage and restore power and phones to the affected area. Starting at noon today, Xcel employees will be going door to door in the Knollwood neighborhood to help turn back on gas meters for homes where the natural gas supply was shut off. Xcel will leave a card explaining instructions for residences on how to safely turn back on their thermostats. The Xcel customer service line is 1-800-895-2999.

City residents in west Boulder neighborhoods can anticipate fire equipment in the area throughout the day. Residents may notice firefighting teams from other jurisdictions assisting with this effort.

All residents are encouraged to remain alert and monitor local news and Emergency Operations Center updates for any changing information.

8:50 a.m. 10/30 Call Center-Community Information phone line is down
The Emergency Operations Center had hoped to put recorded messages on the Call Center - Community Information phone line at 303-413-7730 periodically today, but we are currently experiencing technical difficulties. When the problems are resolved, we will post an update to this website. Thanks for your patience.

Source

11 a.m. 10/30 - EOC to close down
The Boulder Emergency Operations Center will close around noon today for the Dome Fire unless conditions change and additional information is warranted. Incident Command will continue to work the fire. A final report will be posted here when the fire is 100% contained. Thanks for choosing to remain informed during this emergency!

10:55 a.m. 10/30 - Update from Xcel
Xcel has begun restoring electricity service to customers in the Seven Hills neighborhood and should have power on by noon. Customers without electricity and natural gas in the Knollwood subdivision should have electricity restored by noon and natural gas by late afternoon.

Xcel Energy gas service personnel will be going door-to-door to re-light furnace pilots for Knollwood customers. If no one is home, customers can call Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 to arrange a time Xcel employees can return if a re-light is needed. Please remember that a person 18 years of age or older needs to be home to let crews into your house.

10/30 10:40 am. - Dome Fire map for Oct. 30, 2010
Dome Fire map for Oct. 30, 2010. All evacuations have been lifted, but the fire perimeter remains closed to the public to allow for additional air drops and firefighting efforts.

Source

thank you for all the updates jf1acai

10/30 5:20 p.m. - All BCH hospital operations will be back to normal on Monday
The Boulder Community Hospital Facilities Department has restored heat to the Mapleton Center for Rehabilitation and Maxwell Building, so both facilities will be open for regular operations on Monday morning. This means all BCH hospital operations will be back to normal on Monday.

10/30 5 p.m. - End of day situational report
The Emergency Operations Center shut down at 3 p.m. today, and firefighting and support resources were scaled back after significant progress was made in controlling the fire inside the perimeter. A single helicopter was used to make water drops on Saturday as firefighters continued with mop up and efforts to improve containment lines throughout the day. The fire remains 70 percent contained. Firefighters will remain on-scene throughout the night to patrol the fire perimeter for hot spots, but crews are not expected to actively fight the fire overnight. Mop up will resume on Sunday morning and any additional status reports will be posted here as new information becomes available.

Source

Crews are working a flareup at this time, per scanner.