Four Mile Canyon Fire Scanner Updates

OEM Update:

6:45 p.m. - Sept. 9, 2010
Boulder County announces Fourmile Fire donation drop-off site opening tonight

The official Boulder County donation drop-off site will open tonight at 7 p.m. at 3111 28th St. so that community members can drop off donation items for Fourmile fire victims. The drop-off site will continue to be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until further notice.



The following items will be accepted:

Gently used children’s clothes
Size large adult clothing
Unused personal hygiene items
Adult and baby diapers
School supplies


Please only bring items in the list above. Home-canned or packed foods, perishable items, bottled water, heavily used or dirty clothes will NOT be accepted.



Adventist Community Services is managing the donation site.



People with questions about donations or volunteer opportunities are asked to dial 211 or call 866-760-6489. Please do not drop off donations at local fire facilities.

6:45 p.m. - Sept. 9, 2010
Fourmile Canyon wildfire donation drop-off site opening tonight.



The official Boulder County donation drop-off site will open at 7 p.m. today at 3111 28th St. so that community members can drop off donation items for victims of the Fourmile Canyon wildfire.



The drop-off site will continue to be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until further notice.



http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/t ... 8&zoneid=1



5:52 p.m. - Sept. 9, 2010
A list of informational resources for displaced individuals is posted online: http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/a ... t.ver3.pdf

OEM Update:

7 p.m. - Sept. 9, 2010
City clarifies earlier advisory; area of concern is north of Spruce Street

As the City of Boulder works with county, state and federal officials on the potential of high winds later tonight and into the early morning hours, it has received a number of questions about specific geographical areas of concern within city limits. Based on current projections and the proximity of existing fire, officials are closely monitoring neighborhoods west of Broadway from and including Spruce Street on the south to the city limits outside of the Dakota Ridge subdivision on the north.



No evacuations are currently in place in the city. Should that change, the city will take immediate action to notify its residents.



Given the unpredictable nature of fire, especially in high winds, the city would urge all residents to remain tuned to local news stations and monitor updates that are being posted to [url=http://www.boulderoem.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.boulderoem.com[/url].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Updated Fourmile Canyon wildfire information as of 8 p.m. on Thursday
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County officials provided updated information about the Fourmile Canyon wildfire at a press briefing at 8 p.m. Thursday. The next briefing will be held on Friday at 8 a.m. at the Boulder Reservoir.

No deaths as a result of the fire have been reported. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries and returned to the lines.

The Fourmile Canyon wildfire is still approximately 6,150 acres in size and has forced the mandatory evacuation of more than 3,000 residents living in the steep, rugged and heavily forested foothills west of the City of Boulder. Teams are working to catalog burned structures and to investigate the fire’s cause and origin.

An updated map of the burn area and evacuation perimeter is posted online.

The Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that 172 structures have been destroyed, 169 of which are homes, and an additional 25 structures that have been damaged.

More than 700 firefighters, from at least 35 local, regional and national agencies are working to contain the active fire. Dozens of aircraft, including heavy fixed-wing air tankers and helitankers, have joined the effort.

Communities east of the Peak-to-Peak Highway, south of Lefthand Canyon Drive, west of Olde Stage Road and north of Boulder Canyon Drive (Colo. Highway 119) will remain evacuated until further notice. Residents will be informed when any evacuations have been lifted.

A list of informational resources for displaced individuals is posted online.

An emergency shelter is operating at the Boulder YMCA located at 2850 Mapleton Ave. Food, water and insurance resources are available courtesy of the American Red Cross. More information is available on the Mile High Chapter website.

Boulder County has animal control officers on scene conducting animal evacuations when site access becomes available. Animal evacuation information can be obtained by calling 720-564-2942.

An incident call center has been established to assist city and county residents affected by the wildfire. Residents are asked to contact the call center at 303-413-7730 instead of calling 911 unless there is an emergency to report. Information is also available at www.boulderoem.com .

Initial evacuation area still in place
Because of worsening weather predictions that have increased the potential for high winds and more active fire behavior Thursday afternoon, Boulder County officials rescinded the prior decision to open certain neighborhoods in the evacuation area.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, certain communities within the evacuation area were opened to allow residents to gather what they need from their homes and be prepared to evacuate again. Those areas were again closed as of 12:30 p.m., and all residents who entered those areas were asked to leave under a mandatory evacuation order as of 2 p.m. Thursday.

The areas include:

• Boulder Heights
• Pine Brook Hills
• Carriage Hills
• Olde Stage Road
• Lee Hill Drive

PLEASE NOTE: Utilities such as electricity, gas and phones remain off in most of these areas. Since phones are out, residents should not rely on reverse citizen notification to inform them about new evacuations. Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the neighborhoods to let people know they need to evacuate again.

Additionally, the openings of Lefthand Canyon Drive, Sunshine Canyon Drive, Fourmile Canyon Drive and Sugarloaf Road that were tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday were cancelled. Residents should not attempt to return to their homes if they live along any of those roads.

Per RMA GACC Sit Report:

Fourmile Canyon CO-BLX-000321 Type: WF Start: 09/06/2010

Overhead Team Name: Richardson Type: Type 2 Team
Size: 6,422 ACRES
% Cnt/MMA: 30 %
Est Contain: NR
Latitude: 40° 2´ 21" Longitude: 105° 23´ 36"

Location: 5 miles west of dowtown Boulder, CO
$$ Costs to Date: $4,000,000

Structures Threatened: 500 PRIM
Structures Destroyed: 167 PRIM , 5 OUTB

Resources Committed: Total Personnel: 953
Report Date: Sep 09, 2010 1800

Significant Events: About 2000 individuals at last night’s community meeting. 4 (of 20) subdivisions residents allowed to visit their properties at 10:00.
Remarks: Transition will occur from Type 2 (Richardson) to Type 1 (Thomas ) at 1800 tonight (9-9).

Observed Fire Behavior: Creeping and smoldering with single tree and multi-tree torching events in unburned islands.

Planned Actions: Point protection for structures and homes, handline construction and continued damage evaluations and documentation in coordination with the Boulder County Sheriff.

Some new map links:

http://www.bouldercounty.org/bocc/FourM ... imeter.pdf

http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~starbird/bo ... e_map.html

Areas opened yesterday will be opened again today as well as some other areas but only up to the burn and you must be ready to leave again quickly. You cannot park on roads and the Sheriff's will move the roadblocks back to allow people to get through more quickly. These areas will open at 9 am.

Those who will be allowed back in include evacuees from Boulder Heights, Pine Brook Hills, Carriage Hills and those on Lee Hill and Olde Stage Road. Also, authorities are allowing residents who live in Sunshine Canyon and Fourmile Canyon up to Poorman Road to go back home. Poorman Road and Sugarloaf Road will also be open.

From the Hotlist Forum :

8 AM Briefing:

Lines held overnight through the wind event, no new structures lost.
Winds are pretty strong right now, and there is still some concern about a period of higher winds this afternoon.

Crews will be working on interior hot spots today, along with additional line construction. Containment is still reported at 30 percent. Four heavy air tankers are still assigned but available to other incidents if needed. Winds are currently marginal, they may not be able to conduct air ops today.

Regarding evacuations: per the Sheriff's office, the current plan is to move roadblocks closer to the burn area today...as long as conditions permit. Areas opened up yesterday will be reopened, and some additional areas will be opened as well.

Here is a link to the updated list of the 169 homes destroyed and properties damaged:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/fourmil ... etail.html

Per InciWeb:

INCIDENT UPDATED 1 MIN. AGO
Approximate Location
40.048 latitude, -105.39 longitude

Incident Overview
A Red Flag warning has been issued for the fire area. The warning is due to anticipated lower humidity and high winds and is expected to impact the fire area around 3:00 pm. Winds are expected to increase to 25-30 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

In light of the forecasted weather, residents in Boulder Heights, Carriage Hills, Pine Brook Hills subdivisions and surrounding areas who were allowed back into their homes this morning will be required to leave their homes by 2:00 pm in advance of the wind event.



Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Human (under Investigation)
Date of Origin Monday September 06th, 2010 approx. 10:00 AM
Location 5 miles west of downtown Boulder
Incident Commander Jeff Thomas

Current Situation
Total Personnel 953
Size 6,422 acres
Percent Contained 30%
Fuels Involved 10 Timber (litter and understory) Heavy dead and down with bug mortality in Douglas-fir.

Fire Behavior Creeping and smoldering with single tree and multi-tree torching events in unburned islands.

Significant Events Boulder County sheriff's Office announced that they will begin allowing residents access to some homes beginning at 9 a.m. Check [url=http://www.BoulderOEM.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.BoulderOEM.com[/url] or call 720-564-2935 for the latest information on evacuations.


Outlook
Planned Actions Firefighters will continue to construct control lines especially in Boulder Heights area and to patrol and reinforce existing control lines throughout the fire area. Firefighters and equipment will be staged in several areas to provide quick response to fire spread or new spots that may result from forecasted gusty winds. Aircraft are available to support firefighting needs on the ground.

Growth Potential High

Terrain Difficulty Extreme

Remarks Transition from Type 2 Incident Management Team to Type 1 Incident Management Team occurred yesterday at 1800.


Current Weather
Wind Conditions 15-28 mph W
Temperature 72 degrees
Humidity 17%

Fourmile Canyon Fire Update
For Immediate Release Sept. 10, 2010 8:30 a.m.


Fire Information: 720-564-2185 or 720-564-2186 (8 a.m. – 9 p.m.)
Website Info: [url=http://www.inciweb.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.inciweb.org[/url]
Email: fourmile






General Information/Announcements:

Thomas’ Great Basin Type 1 Incident Management Team took command of the fire at 6 p.m. last evening. Efforts are focused on coordinating with local agencies and the community to safely suppress the fire while ensuring the safety of the firefighters and general public, and to protect all structures within and adjacent to the fire. Firefighters spent a windy night extinguishing flare-ups near homes in the Sunshine Canyon area. Despite winds speeds in excess of 30 mph, the fire did not damage any homes or breach constructed fire lines. Gusty winds are expected again this afternoon.



Closures/Advisories/Evacuations:

Boulder County Sheriff’s Office announced that they will begin allowing residents access to some homes beginning at 9 am today. More information is available at www. BoulderOEM.com, or by calling 720-564-2935.



Evacuations: Several subdivisions remain evacuated and road closures are in still effect. For a complete list of the areas affected visit www. BoulderOEM.com.



Closures: There is a forest closure in effect for the fire area. For a map and closure information visit:

Closure Order: http://go.usa.gov/xC4 Closure Map: http://go.usa.gov/xC2 .



Today’s Activity:

Firefighters will continue to construct control lines especially in the Boulder Heights area and to patrol and reinforce existing control lines throughout the fire area. Firefighters and equipment will be staged in several areas to provide quick response to fire spread or new spots that may result from forecasted gusty winds. Aircraft are available to support firefighting needs on the ground.



Public SafetyMessage:

Residents and the general public are reminded to take responsibility for their safety by obeying fire area closures, evacuation orders, and roadblocks.





Quick Fire Facts:

Date started: September 6, 2010 Cause: Human (under investigation)

Location: 5 miles W of downtown Boulder, CO Size: 6,422 acres

Containment: 30% Estimated Containment Date: September 13, 2010

Number of Personnel: 953 (15 crews) Aircraft: 5 helicopters

Equipment: 134 engines, 37 water tenders Retardant: (156,012 gallons) cumulative

Cost to Date: $ 4,000,000 Injuries to Date: 3

Structures Lost/Damaged: 172 (169 residences)