Over 19,000 People Flee Wildfire Near Boulder, 120 Acres Burned

Over 19,000 people were forced to evacuate after a wildfire started ripping through Colorado over the weekend, according to CBS Denver.

Dubbed the NCAR Fire for its proximity to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the huge blaze has already consumed 122 acres of land with zero containment by around 6 p.m. Saturday (March 26), according to emergency officials.

“You could see flicks of flames 40 to 50 feet high coming over the top of the ridge, and people quickly started dispersing,” Anthony Wermann, who was hiking at the time, told reporters. Large clouds of smoke caught on camera billowing from the forests of the foothills. A news station meteorologist says heavy winds are also making the fire more treacherous.

City of Boulder officials say the Table Mesa and Eldorado Canyon areas were under a mandatory evacuation. The Eldorado Springs and Sans Souci communities were also ordered to leave. At least 8,000 homes and 7,000 structures were in the evacuation zone, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management says.

Some evacuation notices were lifted by 10 p.m. Saturday. Boulder residents were allowed to return to their homes after the city lifted its evacuation notices on Sunday (March 27).

KUSA says the NCAR Fire is 35% contained as of Monday morning (March 28).

Even though the wildfire is still burning, Gov. Jared Polis thanked emergency crews for their "swift action."

"We are thankful for the swift action and response to this wildfire by our firefighters and first responders," Polis said in a press release. "State officials have spoken with Sheriff Pelle this afternoon, and the state has deployed two firefighting aircraft, including a single-engineer tanker and type 2 helicopter, and stands ready to assist with the response. We will continue to monitor this evolving situation."