Recommended action
The city is encouraging the estimated 9,000 Boulder residents who live west of Broadway and north of Spruce Street to take the following actions:
Clear out lawns and western areas, removing all combustibles, including firewood, lawn furniture, play equipment, grills and propane tanks.
Do not put propane tanks inside garages. Move them to the east side of your home in a highly visible location.
Mow tall grass and remove extra brush from the west side of your home.
Close all windows on the west side of your home and keep all interior doors closed. Keep your porch light and all exterior lights on.
Make sure you have gas in your car and park your vehicle pointed in the direction of the road.
Prepare your take-away kit with important documents, photos, medications and other significant items and put it in your car.
Consider making shelter arrangements with friends and family members, if possible, for you and your pets.
The estimated 9,000 Boulder residents who live west of Broadway and north of Spruce Street are being asked to prepare to evacuate their homes, in case the path of the Fourmile Fire shifts dramatically.
City officials on Thursday afternoon said that forecasted high winds overnight are leading to concerns that the fire could shift toward city limits.
“Based on the (wind) patterns that are being forecast, we do have concerns it could push the fire east to the western parts of the city,” said Sarah Huntley, a city spokeswoman. “We don’t know if evacuations are going to be necessary.”
The forecast calls for wind gusts as high as 50 mph starting after about 6 p.m. today, and lasting into the early morning hours.
Matt Kelsch, a Boulder meteorologist, said the winds will likely begin to shift by sundown. He said a coldfront that’s moving into the Front Range will create wind gusts.
Huntley said residents west of Broadway are being asked to take precautions and prepare for possible evacuations.
“We’re trying to strike a balance here between not making people unduly alarmed, but also giving people a window of opportunity,” Huntley said.
The city is asking residents in west Boulder to gas their cars and gather essential items to take with them in case an evacuation is ordered.
Other specific recommendations include: clearing lawns of firewood, lawn furniture, play equipment, grills and propane tanks; moving propane tanks to the east side of homes in a highly visible location; mowing tall grasses and removing extra brush; closing windows on the west side of homes and keeping all interior doors closed; turning on porch lights and leaving on all exterior lights; fuel vehicles and point them in the direction of the road; gathering important documents, photos and medications.
The city is also asking residents to consider making shelter arrangements with friends and family, in case they are ordered to leave their homes.
Huntley said city officials are making preparations to alert people about potential evacuations. Options being explored include sounding sirens in certain parts of the city and sending police officers through neighborhoods.
“We are working on devising some evacuations scenarios and plans, should we have to evacuate neighborhoods,” she said.
Locations for evacuation shelters are being scouted this afternoon, she said.
She said people west of Broadway are encouraged to leave the television on for news of evacuations.
Boulder Community Hospital is within the possible evacuation zone. Hospital spokesman Rich Sheehan said they found out from city officials late Thursday that the hospital is located in a “completely defensible position” and would likely not be forced to evacuate.
“There is no imminent danger to any hospital facility,” Sheehan said.
He said the hospital was prepared, however, to send patients to area hospitals, including Longmont United.
“Hospitals really pull together in these kinds of situations,” he said.
Employees at Boulder Community Hospital’s Mapleton Campus, located at 311 Mapleton Ave., were told this afternoon to act as if they would be evacuating. They were told to take home with them photos and documents that are critical. Patient records stored at the facility are located with a fire-suppression system, Sheehan said.
City crews are also working today to mow grasses within 50 feet of residential areas to reduce the amount of fuel for a fire.
In a news release Thursday, City Manager Jane Brautigam said city officials are “hoping for the best, but as a city, we are doing the very things we would urge residents to do – staying vigilant and planning for the worst.”
“If a request to evacuate becomes necessary, residents are urged to do so immediately to help save lives and give firefighters the ability to bring in necessary equipment and crews to protect properties. If we reach an emergency situation, we will do everything we can to respond.”
“We will need full cooperation from residents. I know we can count on that from our community.”
