BOULDER, Colo. -- Three wind-driven wildfires raced across Boulder County grasslands on Wednesday, burning an estimated 1,000 acres, destroying at least four structures and prompting mandatory evacuations of at least 500 homes.

The fire is zero percent contained and firefighters planed to spend the night protecting homes and putting out small fires where they can. Residents evacuated from their homes were told to remain in Red Cross shelters until morning.

Firefighters announced new evacuations around 10:30 p.m. for residents west of Old Stage Road, including Boulder Heights and the North side of Lee Hill Road. Evacuees were told to head West up the backside of Lee Hill Road to Lefthand Canyon Road then East on Lefthand Canyon and then North on US 36 to Nelson.

Firefighters said they were worried power lines could have burned in the fire and fallen to the ground, making the area unsafe, said Boulder County Sheriff's Commander Phil West.

"Our top concern is safety, and we absolutely do not want to put any one in danger. We will continuously evaluate the situation and will update information when a decision has been made," said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it has made federal funds available to help fight the fire.

Heavy winds gusting at 65 mph caused the fire to explode Wednesday afternoon, pushing it to the east and to the south, prompting Boulder County authorities to call more than 11,000 homes to warn residents of a possible evacuation.

More than 150 firefighters are working the Olde Stage Road Fire.

At 4 p.m., the flames had jumped Highway 36 and entered Lake Valley Estates, which was evacuated.

"It's really terrifying," said Pamela Taylor of nearby Louisville, who was trying to find out whether her horse Zorro had been moved from a boarding stable that stood in an evacuation area. "You just want to set eyes on him."

Heavy smoke partially obscured the mountains looming to the west, but smaller fires were visible on the slopes of the foothills.

Residents within a two-mile radius of the fire were forced to evacuate. Deputies went house to house to make sure no one stayed in their home. West said calls were made to 11,241 land lines alerting residents to the fire, but only those close to the fire were ordered to evacuate.

Just after 5 p.m., the first subdivision within the Boulder city limits -- Dakota Ridge -- was forced to evacuate. Authorities said there are 532 homes in Dakota Ridge, located north of Lee Hill Road and west of Broadway.

"We're concerned about the wind pushing the fire in that direction," said Boulder police spokesman Sarah Huntley.

Winds at the scene ranged from 35 to 55 mph, said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service spokesman. He said the winds had begun to back off but were still strong enough to make firefighting difficult.

About 75 firefighters, 50 law enforcement officers and 55 emergency personnel are working on the blaze, with the majority of the firefighting resources focused on the Lake Valley Estates neighborhood and the Dakota Ridge subdivision in North Boulder, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

"This is what scares everybody to death, these high winds," said John Stobbelaar, a retired captain with the Mountain View Fire District who went to one of the fires after he was called up on standby.

West said two homes and a chick barn were destroyed by the fire. The deck of another home was damaged by fire.

At one blaze, firefighters tried to save the buildings rather than contain the flames, West said.

"We're just doing structural protection and letting the grass burn," he said.

Residents in Crestview Estates, Lake of the Pines, Jordan Pines were also evacuated. People who live along Olde Stage Road and U.S. 36 between Lee Hill Road and Lefthand Canyon Drive were also told to leave. Most of the evacuation area is between Olde Stage Road and North 63rd Street, and south of Nelson Road.

Pine Brook Hills, Carriage Hills and Boulder Heights were NOT evacuated but residents may not be able to return home because of road closures.

Sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West said two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Evacuees were sent to Niwot High School or Centennial Middle School, where the Red Cross had set up shelters. The Red Cross said Niwot High School is full, but there is still room at Centennial Middle School.

The owners of several horse ranches and llama ranches also evacuated animals to the Boulder County Fairgrounds and Sombrero Ranch. By 6 p.m. the Boulder County Fairgrounds was too full and no longer accepting animals.

Winds Fueled Flames

This fire began in the 7200 block of Olde Stage Road, north of Boulder, around 1 p.m. The cause of the fire has not been determined but winds were a huge factor. The good news was that winds appeared to be dying down by nightfall.

The winds in the evening were pushing the fire slightly northwest, and more steadily south towards Boulder city limits. By 6:30 p.m., the fire perimeter extended from Lee Hill Drive and Broadway on the south, Olde Stage Road to the west, Lefthand Canyon Drive to the north and Lake Valley Estates to the southeast.

The following road are closed:

North Foothills Highway (or U.S. Highway 36) is closed between Broadway and Nelson Road.
All roads west of North Foothills Highway for at least 3 miles including, Lefthand Canyon Road.
Olde Stage Road and Lee Hill Road are closed.
Access on roads east from North Foothills Highway (US Hwy 36) to North 63rd. St. (areas north of Lee Hill Drive) are closed
Boulder Reservoir is closed.

Xcel Energy and Longmont Power and Communications planned power outages in areas immediately in the path of the fire in order to avoid additional safety and fire dangers.

Boulder County Commission Chair Ben Pearlman signed a local disaster emergency declaration for Boulder County, indicating that all available local fire resources are committed to fighting wildfires in the county and that state assistance will be required.

Several Other Fires Reported At Same Time

Another fire reported at the same time was located at 45th Street and Neva Road, west of the town of Niwot. Downed power lines -- possibly caused by high winds -- sparked that fire, which spread to a house and a barn, West said. That 30-acre fire was extinguished by 3:30 p.m.

Another fire at U.S. Highway 36 and Hygiene was contained by 4 p.m. The size of that fire is not known but it was also caused by downed power lines, authorities said.

Community, Schools Impacted

Three schools and two bus routes were affected by the Boulder evacuations. Students at Foothill Elementary, Boulder High School and Centennial Middle School have been impacted, said Briggs Gamblin, a spokesman for the Boulder Valley School District.

Residents can call these phone numbers for additional information:

720-564-2932

720-564-2942

720-564-2952

Do not call 911 or the sheriff's office unless there is an emergency.

The Doubletree hotel in Westminster is also offering rooms for $69 per night for evacuees who prefer that arrangement; the hotel will arrange pick-up of evacuees. Call 303-427-4000.

The Longmont Humane Society and the Boulder Valley Humane Society were also sheltering pets from families being evacuated.

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