Four Mile Canyon Fire Scanner Updates

OEM Update:

9:40 a.m. Sept. 10, 2010
Evacuation areas reopened as of 9 a.m. today

At the 8 a.m. press briefing, Boulder County officials announced the reopening of the following subdivisions and streets :

Boulder Heights;
Pine Brook Hills;
Carriage Hills;
Olde Stage Road;
Lee Hill Drive;
Sunshine Canyon and Fourmile Canyon drives to Poorman Road (including Poorman Road);
Gold Hill Road to Switzerland Trail (Switerland Trail remains closed);
Sugarloaf Road with limited access to the north (Mountain Meadows will be open); and
Lefthand Canyon Road with restricted access from the south.

Boulder County officials are requesting that residents do not park on the roadway and to drive carefully as fire apparatus are traveling to and from the active fire area.

PLEASE NOTE: Residents must stay on alert and be ready to re-evacuate immediately if conditions change. Residents of the area are asked to bring personal identification. Power will remain off in these areas. The remaining evacuated areas remain highly volatile and therefore residents cannot return to their homes. Stay tuned to [url=http://www.boulderoem.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.boulderoem.com[/url] and local media outlets for updated evacuation information.

7:57 a.m. Sept. 10, 2010
Boulder County residents affected by the Fourmile Fire can go to the victim assistance center at 3482 N. Broadway in Boulder to receive individual assistance as well as emergency financial assistance from the Red Cross.



The Red Cross will assess each family’s individual needs and provide assistance based on those needs;
Red Cross Emergency Financial assistance is available for residents whose homes have been listed as destroyed by the Office of Emergency Management. If your home is not yet on the list, we can begin the intake process and provide you with other resources, but won’t be able to provide monetary assistance; and
Please check with your insurance agency if you have homeowners insurance, as most insurance agencies will cover the majority of your basic need expenses while you are displaced due to the fire.


Residents are encouraged to call 303-441-3560 to find out more about the services available.

11:44 a.m. Sept. 10, 2010 - Updated Fourmile Canyon wildfire information
Updated Fourmile Canyon wildfire information

Boulder County, Colo. – The Fourmile Canyon wildfire is approximately 6,422 acres in size. According to federal officials, the fire is 30 percent contained. Teams are working to catalog burned structures and to investigate the fire’s cause and origin.

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

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 900 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 including 134 fire engines and 37 water tenders. In total, aircraft have dropped more than 150,000 gallons of fire retardant.

An updated map of the burn area and evacuation perimeter is posted online. Residents are also encouraged to visit inciweb.org, a national informational website dedicated to wildland fires, which also has detailed Fourmile Fire maps.

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

An emergency shelter continues to operate 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 Red Cross 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.

Some air support is being released from the Four Mile Fire to provide air support for a new fire in Fremont County on YMCA Mountain. (Per Pueblo...this is the ECO Fire)

ECO Fire Information Map

Air Ops are being discontinued at this time due to high winds.

A high level recon flight of the area may take place in about 1/2 hour depending upon wind conditions.

OEM Update:

1:15 p.m. - Sept. 10, 2010
City continues to monitor wildfire, thanks community for its preparedness

In light of a red flag wind warning that remains in effect until later this evening, City of Boulder officials are continuing to carefully monitor the Fourmile Canyon wildfire. Until this existing weather pattern passes, the city remains on alert and encourages residents to do the same.



Fire Chief Larry Donner is communicating closely with county and federal officials, as well as city firefighters who are working the blaze, to stay informed about the most current developments. City firefighters are prepared to implement a structure protection plan that has been developed should it become necessary to protect homes and other buildings in the city.



“We feel very fortunate that despite the winds we experienced last night the firefighting crews in the county were able to keep the fire from spreading. We remain incredibly appreciative of their efforts,” said City Manager Jane S. Brautigam. “At the same time, I want our community to know that we are standing ready if today’s weather conditions make the fire less predictable.”



City officials also wish to thank the community for its vigilance and the preparations that residents made yesterday in anticipation of possible city evacuations in the neighborhoods west of Broadway from and including Spruce Street on the south to the city limits just outside Dakota Ridge on the north. Many residents cleared their yards, initiated conversations about evacuations and sought more information.



“The response we saw yesterday once again underscored the strength of our community. When we give Boulder residents information, they respond, and they did so overwhelmingly. That kind of cooperation is invaluable in an emergency,” Brautigam said. “We encourage residents to remain vigilant, and we pledge to continue to keep them informed.”

2:20 p.m. - Sept. 10, 2010
City of Boulder firefighters responded to a tree fire in south Boulder. The fire was extinguished quickly, but smoke was visible for a brief period of time. Read more at: Sept. 10, 2010 - Firefighters respond to tree fire in south Boulder; flames extinguished

2:21 p.m. - Sept. 10, 2010

Confused about the difference between contained and controlled and other firefighter lingo? Check out this useful glossary.

http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/glossary/index.htm

2:45 p.m. - Sept. 10, 2010

Public Information Officers from the Incident Management Team will be staffing an information booth at the Boulder Farmer's Market on Saturday, Sept. 11. Their purpose will be to pass along information about fire suppression activities on the Fourmile Canyon Fire and answer the public's questions about suppression of the fire.

Governor Bill Ritter and US Senator Mark Udall Visit The Fourmile Inciden

Incident: Fourmile Canyon Fire Wildfire
Released: 50 min. ago

Governor Bill Ritter and U.S. Senator Mark Udall visited the Fourmile Canyon Fire Incident Command Post at noon today. Governor Ritter met with the Incident Command Team's planning staff and a local Field Observer who has been monitoring the fire behavior and activity. After these meetings he held a press conference. With local firefighters in the backdrop, the Governor recognized the efforts of all those working on the fire especially the local first responders to the incident. He also recognized the strong cooperation of the agencies involved. He encouraged those who evacuated to be patient and not try to return to their homes before they are allowed. He asked them not to rush the work of the firefighters. He promised he would continue to do all he could to provide the funding needed for this effort and that he will still be working for people after the fire is over.

Senator Mark Udall also spoke to the media and shared a personal story about being evacuated from his home in the past. He also shared his appreciation for the firefighters and let people know he will also be working from the federal level to do all he can to get assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

4:32 p.m. - Sept. 10, 2010

Three dumpster location have been provided for residents who have been allowed back into their homes and need to dispose of spoiled food. The dumpster sites are for food waste only.



Where:
Buckingham Park, Old Stage Road & Lefthand Canyon Drive
Boulder Canyon Drive & Sugarloaf Road
Western Disposal Transfer Station, 5880 Butte Mill Road, Boulder



When:
Friday 4-6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.



The dumpsters will be removed at the end of each day and emptied.