The Evergreen fire began at about 2 p.m. near Interstate 70 and Soda Creek Road. It grew to 8 acres at one point.

By 6 p.m., firefighters had made good progress on the blaze, said Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Mark Techmeyer.

"They've knocked it down pretty good," he said.

During the afternoon, authorities ordered the evacuations of 25 homes and opened up an evacuation center at Evergreen High School.

Racing to evacuate was a nerve-racking ordeal for residents.

"You kick into overdrive," evacuee Sherry Gleason told 7NEWS Reporter Marc Stewart. "You don't think about what's really important other than what’s really important ... I stood in the house for a few minutes, once I got the dogs in the car, and I looked around and I thought, 'What else do I need?' Nothing. Let’s get out of here."

The fire turned out to be relatively small, but it grew quickly and firefighters were concerned about how quickly it could spread because of the high winds.

“They said we may not have very much time. Get out fast," Gleason recalled. “This morning it was our greatest fear. To, you know, try to get home and the road is blocked."

Luckily, for Gleason and other residents, by Monday night they were back home.

Another fire on Monday destroyed a cabin near Conifer, near Highway 285 and Parker. Elk Creek firefighters quickly contained the blaze and stopped it from spreading. Authorities said a downed power line started the fire.

While those two fires have been extinguished, Jefferson county officials are still trying to contain a fire near Golden..

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