Snow began falling Thursday afternoon in the foothills north of of the Schoonover Fire.

The wildfire, burning south and east of Deckers burned 10 buildings and threatened hundreds more, prompting the evacuation of dozens of homeowners.

Five cabins in the Shady Brook YMCA camp and one outbuilding at Fletcher Ranch were destroyed, fire officials said at a Thursday morning briefing. Additonal structures were found to be destroyed Thursday afternoon.

Shady Brook is the camp site where more than 100 students from Moore Middle School were staying before they voluntarily evacuated late Tuesday night when the fire started.

Fire officials said more than 420 structures are threatened in the blaze, named the Schoonover fire.

The fire was burning in a northeast direction, and away from homes Thursday. The area it was in was mostly national forest land, officials said.

The fire, which appeared to lay low Wednesday morning, exploded just after noon. Winds gusting more than 50 mph pushed the flames across 2,500 acres in a span of just a few hours.

The blaze traveled about 2 miles, moving northeast, jumped Highway 67 and crossed under a major power line.

It has now consumed more than 4,000 acres and is at 5 to 10 percent containment, mostly on the southern and eastern edges, officials said.

The thick heavy smoke created by the Schoonover Fire blanketed the skies and can be spotted throughout the metro area.

Air tankers, helicopters and more than 220 firefighters are fighting the blaze but their job is being hampered by high winds, steep terrain, and difficult access. About 300 more firefighters, some arriving from New Mexico, are expected to arrive Thursday to join the front lines.

Firefighters at one point retreated on Wednesday because of the fire's voracious nature, but returned later in the evening to protect homes through the night.

Forest Service spokeswoman Pam Gardner said high winds expected in advance of a cold front late tonight have firefighters on edge. The front could bring snow and badly needed rain.

NOAA Weather Service Incident Meteorologist from the Pueblo weather forecast office had arrived at the fire Wednesday afternoon to provide on-site forecasts and updates to the fire fighting team.

National Weather Service forecaster Daniel Leszcynski, of the Denver office, said a major weather break should be provided to firefighters Thursday night as the office has issued a winter storm warning for Jefferson and Douglas counties, where the fire is burning.

"The forecast calls for scattered showers and thunderstorms Thursday," Leszcynski said, "with the rain changing to snow in the evening. We're expecting a low of about 30 degrees tonight and about 5 to 10 inches of snow out of this, so that should at least help slow the fire."

Leszcynski said scattered snow showers are expected to continue through Friday morning. "As dry as it's been, people around here will take any kind of precipitation," he said.

While snow should help dampen the fire Thursday night, Leszcynski said current weather conditions are hampering containment efforts. "I talked to Makoto Moore (the Incident Meteorologist) and he said they are probably looking at another half-day to full day of critical conditions," Leszcynski said.

Type one crews, the highest level, have taken over management of the fire.

Mountain Communities Evacuated

All areas west of Highway 67 from Deckers south to the Teller County line were ordered evacuated.

The Douglas County sheriff issued mandatory evacuation notices for the area from Sugar Creek on the north to the Teller county line on the south. The west side of the evacuation area was at the Douglas/Jefferson County line east to Rampart Range Road.

The area covers Deckers, Horsecreek, Camp Shady Brook & YMCA camp, Rainbow Falls Road, Rainbow Falls Park, Ferguson Road, Trout Creek Ranch, Long Hollow Road, Fern Creek, Pine Lake Estates, West Creek subdivision, Cedar Mountain, and Stump Road.

Also included: Trout Creek Road, Pine Lake Estates, the Sugar Creek area, Platte River Crossing area and Devil's Head.

Highway 67 remained open while people evacuated, the sheriff's office said, but evacuees will not be allowed to return to the area until the threat has passed.

There are two evacuation centers. The first is at Woodland Park Community Church gymnasium, 800 Valley View off Highway 67 in Woodland Park. The second is at Elk Creek Elementary, 13304 S. Highway 285 along the frontage road.

Current road closures include:

• Hwy. 67 at West Creek is closed to north bound traffic
• Hwy. 67 at Sugar Creek Road is closed to south bound traffic
• Hwy. 67 is still open to local traffic for those leaving the areas
• The State Forest Service has closed all recreational areas
• Rampart Range Road is closed from Hwy. 67 to Rainbow Falls Road
• Small fires have crossed Hwy. 67 in the area about 1 ? miles south of Deckers

Campgrounds in the area will be closed Memorial Day weekend.

Camp Shady Brook Info

The camp is planning on operations as normal this summer, unless they find that the fire damaged more than thre five cabins.

The camp is in the process of hiring summer staff. Information about the camp can be found at their Web site.

How It Started

The fire is now believed to have started on Monday by lightning and spread to three separate fires in a remote area 3 miles southwest of Deckers. The fire was moving in a northeast direction, on land primarily owned by the Denver Water Board.

On Wednesday, air tankers dropped retardant on the blaze, which is burning in Douglas fir and ponderosa pine.

The blaze was so thick that the smoke plume from the fire reached 20,000 feet, according to AirTracker 7 pilot Rich Westra.

Previous Story:

• May 22, 2002: Mandatory Evacuations As Deckers Wildfire Explodes
• May 21, 2002: Fire Forces Evacuations Near Deckers