BOULDER — More than 100 firefighters quickly snuffed out a wildfire that started Saturday afternoon in the area of Chautauqua Park, and crews were able to fully contain the fire within about five hours.
Hundreds of hikers had to be evacuated from Chautauqua Park and the surrounding Boulder County Open Space area, but no injuries were reported, Boulder Fire and Rescue Chief Michael Calderazzo said during a news conference.
“There were hundreds of people on the trails when this fire came in, and all those people were safely brought down,” he said.
The BlueBell fire burned roughly 1.5 acres and was considered fully contained by 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Boulder Fire and Rescue posted on social media. Smoke could be seen along the Flatirons in southwestern Boulder just before 1 p.m.
The cause of the Bluebell fire is under investigation by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department, Calderazzo said.
The fire was first reported at 12:45 p.m. near the Bluebell Mesa Trail. Within hours, more than 100 firefighters from nine agencies responded to the blaze. Additionally, the state’s $26 million Firehawk helicopter was deployed. Calderazzo said the helicopter made seven water drops, each about 560 gallons, before being put on standby.
Those drops “were a huge help in slowing the spread of the fire,” he said.
All trails at Chautauqua Park, Green Mountain and Enchanted Mesa will remain closed overnight into Sunday.
Fire conditions were high Saturday with temperatures in the mid-60s and strong winds. Parts of northern Colorado are under a red flag warning, but Boulder County was not listed in the area under warning. The parts of the Front Range were under red flag warning throughout most of last week.
On Thursday, a grass fire in Thornton burned 10 acres and shutdown Interstate 25 as the fire moved quickly pushed by high winds. A school and several businesses were also evacuated. No injuries were reported, but more than 100 cars were burned behind a nearby business.
