CalWood Fire and Lefthand Canyon Fire prompt mandatory evacuation orders and destroy at least 26 homes.
Two new wildfires began over the weekend in Boulder County, causing a mandatory evacuation order for towns like Jamestown and Ward.
The CalWood Fire, which expands to 9,106 acres, began on Saturday and continued to burn near the CalWood Education Center in Jamestown. On Sunday night, officials confirmed 26 homes were lost to the fire near the eastern side along Mountain Ridge Drive and Foothills Ranch Drive. No injuries were reported then.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire was about 17% contained. Officials say the most dangerous area of the fire is located at the northern ridge due to steep and rocky terrain, and dry fuels.
Fire is getting awful close to Boulder
— ansh (@dontpunchansh) October 20, 2020
photo from my balcony
#CalwoodFire pic.twitter.com/l6EyJYrlma
Additionally, a new wildfire began on Sunday called the Lefthand Canyon Fire. The fire began in the 1400 block of Lefthand Canyon Drive, close to the town of Ward. As of Monday night, it had burned 385 acres. The crew has reached 4% containment, at the time of this writing.
Due to these two new wildfires, Boulder authorities sent out pre-evacuation notices to thousands of residents nearby, which included people in the town of Lyons. The evacuation area for the CalWood Fire includes 1,600 homes, 2,600 structures, and around 3,000 impacted residents.
The evacuation check-in point for the CalWood Fire is set at 3460 N. Broadway, which is the Boulder County's North Broadway Complex at Broadway and Iris. All evacuees and their pets can go to the location to check-in and receive further information and instructions.
For the Lefthand Canyon Fire, the evacuation check-in point is the Nederland Community Center at 750 Peak to Peak Hwy.
Aerials crews have been used heavily on both fires to assist firefighters on the ground. The latest strategy is to construct fire containment lines while minimizing the fire spread. Additionally, the crew will patrol for spot fires as fire activity increases throughout the day.
The cause of the fires is still unknown but the County and Forest Service are still investigating. The CalWood Fire has become Boulder County's largest wildfire on record.
Stay up-to-date on all of the wildfires burning in Colorado.
