Four Mile Canyon Fire
Location: 12 mi NW of Boulder, Boulder Co. CO
Specific Location: Emerson Gulch in Four Mile Canyon, Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests/Pawnee National Grassland Lat 40° 2´ 21″ Lon 105° 23´ 36″
Date of Origin: 09/06/2010
Cause: Under investigation
Situation as of 09/16/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 285
Size: 6,181 acres
Percent Contained: 100%
Costs to Date: $9,947,993
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has lifted evacuation orders on all subdivisions within the fire perimeter via a permit system. FEMA disaster assistance teams continue to assess subdivisions within the fire area. Full public access to fire area will occur on 9/17/10 at 1800.
Estimated cost to date has decreased due to auditing of I Suite financial module and reassignment of resources.
This will be the final 209 unless there are significant changes.
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Situation as of 09/15/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 418
Size: 6,181 acres
Percent Contained: 100%
Costs to Date: $9,955,251
Structures Destroyed: 167 PRIM , 5 OUTB
Transfer of damage assessment intelligence of structures and infrastructure to Boulder County continues. Continue to secure interior islands to mitigate threat to structures within fire perimeter. Continuing rehabilitation on hand and dozer lines caused by suppression to meet turn back standards.
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Situation as of 09/14/2010 5:20 pm
Personnel: 536
Size: 6,181 acres
Percent Contained: 100%
Costs to Date: $9,439,583
Continued coordination with utilities and public works to repair damage to infrastructure. Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has begun to lift evacuation orders on subdivisions within the fire perimeter via a permit system. FEMA disaster assistance teams have begun assessment of the Sugarloaf and Fourmile areas. The team is managing the Reservoir Road Fire in addition to the Fourmile fire.
Teams have finished identifying and documenting damage to structures and utilities. Data is currently being analyzed.
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Situation as of 09/13/2010 5:40 pm
Personnel: 907
Size: 6,181 acres
Percent Contained: 100%
Costs to Date: $9,574,846
100% containment.
Acreage has changed again due to more accurate mapping [even more accurate than yesterday's accurate mapping].
Teams have finished identifying and documenting damage to structures and utilities. Data is currently being analyzed.
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Situation as of 09/12/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 915
Size: 6,250 acres
Percent Contained: 87%
Costs to Date: $8,318,666
Acres has changed from 6427 acres to 6250 acres due to more accurate mapping. Estimated final suppression cost is $10,200,000.
Team is supporting new fire (Reservoir Road Fire) in Larimer County.
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Situation as of 09/11/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 1,069
Size: 6,427 acres
Percent Contained: 73%
Structures Destroyed: 167 PRIM , 5 OUTB
Begin transfer of damage assessment intelligence of structures and infrastructure to Boulder County. Continue line construction on uncontrolled portions of the fire, and secure interior islands to mitigate threat to structures within fire perimeter. Continue to mop-up perimeter and interior islands to protect structures.
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Situation as of 09/10/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 1,096
Size: 6,427 acres
Percent Contained: 56%
Structures Destroyed: 167 PRIM , 5 OUTB
Governor Bill Ritter and Senator Mark Udall visited ICP. Continued coordination with utilities and public works to assess damage to infrastructure. Teams continue to identify and document damage to residential addresses. Working with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to lift evacuation orders for subdivisions no longer threatened.
Red flag warning expires at 1800 (9/10). Potential has changed from high to medium due to increase containment and more favorable weather.
Observed Fire Behavior: Active burning with wind event along open flanks and interior unburned islands.
Continued use of aviation resources for point protection and hotspots. Continue damage assessment of structures and infrastructure. Continue line construction on uncontrolled fireline and secure interior islands to mitigate threat to structures within fire perimeter. Mop-up and patrol areas as necessary.
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Situation as of 09/09/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 953
Size: 6,422 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Structures Destroyed: 167 PRIM , 5 OUTB
20 subdivisions west of Boulder have been evacuated and 3 major County roads closed. Four people remain unaccounted for in the burn area. About 2000 individuals at last night’s community meeting. 4 (of 20) subdivisions residents allowed to visit their properties at 10:00.
Transition will occur from Type 2 (Richardson) to Type 1 (Thomas ) at 1800 tonight (9-9).
Lines held overnight through the wind event, no new structures lost. Winds remain strong with a period of even stronger winds expected this afternoon.
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Situation as of 09/08/2010 6:45 pm
Personnel: 550
Size: 6,365 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Structures Destroyed: 136 PRIM , 4 OUTB
20 subdivisions west of Boulder have been evacuated and 3 major County roads closed. Four people remain unaccounted for in the burn area.
Starting direct control lines. 2 Fire Management Modules will begin a detailed damage assessment in conjunction with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
A red flag warning has been issued for the northern foothills. The National Weather Service predicting wind gusts could reach 45 to 60 mph by midnight on 09/09.
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4 P.M. Update, 09/08/2010, KRDO [here]
4 Missing, 135 Homes Destroyed - Fire Has Scorched More Than 6,800 Acres
BOULDER, Colo. — Authorities say at least 135 homes have destroyed by a wildfire burning in canyons and foothills west of Boulder.
About 3,500 people have been evacuated from about 1,000 homes that broke out in a parched area north of Boulder on Monday. Four people remain missing as some residents have stayed behind and risked their lives to try to save their homes.
The reported losses surpass those of the 2002 Hayman fire in southern Colorado, which was the most destructive in the state’s history. It destroyed 133 homes and 466 outbuildings over 138,000 acres.
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Situation as of 09/07/2010 8:00 pm
Personnel: 201
Size: 6,168 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
92 structures, 53 homes reported destroyed. Authorities are searching for eight people who didn’t evacuate the wildfire in the foothills near Boulder.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Rich Brough said Wednesday that 20 people were initially reported missing and 12 have been accounted for.
Authorities are investigating reports that the fire might have started when a car ran into a propane tank.
20 subdivisions west of Boulder have been evacuated and 3 major County roads closed. Fire Continues perimeter growth and associated structure loss.
Transition from Type 3 to Type 2 (Richardson) occurred at 1800 today (9-7).
Seven of the Nation’s 19 heavy air tankers have been sent to Colorado to fight the blaze, considered the nation’s top firefighting priority.
The next news conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday [to be broadcast live on KRDO TV/radio here]. A community forum will be held Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the CU Coors Event Center at CU-Boulder.
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Situation as of 09/06/2010 7:30 pm
Personnel: 175+
Size: 3,500 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Structures Threatened: 500 PRIM
Structures Destroyed: 12 PRIM
RMA Team A (IMT2) to assume command 9-7-2010 a.m. ~30 local agencies engaged. Aviation resources will be assisting fire operations throughout the day today
The fire began on September 6, 2010 in Emerson Gulch located in Four Mile Canyon. Communities impacted by this fire include Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Gold Hill, Sugarloaf, Pinebrook Hills, and Boulder Heights. Approximately 3,500 residents are under mandatory evacuation.
The current evacuation area includes: 1. the communities west of the Peak-to-Peak Highway 2. east of Highway 36 3. South of Lefthand Canyon Road 4. North of Boulder Canyon. 5. Residents along Sugarloaf are under mandatory evacuation. 6. The City of Boulder is not under any evacuations. An overnight shelter has been established at the Coors Event Center on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.
