BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — While windy weather will hit the Boulder area on Monday afternoon, officials say they are confident that the fire lines around the NCAR Fire will hold up.
The NCAR Fire, which broke out near Boulder on Saturday afternoon, has burned 190 acres and is 68% contained as of Monday evening.
Maya Washburn with Boulder Fire Rescue said all evacuations were lifted Sunday evening, however many trails in the area, as well as Eldorado Canyon State Park, remain closed to the public.
Brian Oliver, incident command trainee with Boulder Fire, said wind is a concern on Monday, but he feels confident that the fire lines will hold. Firefighters were able to stop the fire's forward progress and will work Monday on mopping it up, securing the perimeter, and increasing containment.
Crews will work in the morning to ensure "everything is secure and buttoned up" so they can handle the wind in the afternoon ahead of expected precipitation on Tuesday. Monday's work will include reaching farther into the interior of the burned area to secure embers, Oliver said.
He credited the hard work and coordination of the agencies involved, plus the mitigation work done previously, for keeping the fire from reaching nearby neighborhoods. Thousands of people were evacuated on Saturday after the fire was first reported around 2 p.m.
More than 150 people from multiple agencies will work at the lines of the NCAR Fire on Monday.
Oliver said heavy fuels from this fire will likely burn for weeks due to the amount of organic material in the area. Crews will check the area daily for the next three to four weeks, he said. Anybody who sees wispy smoke shouldn't worry, but he urged people to call 911 if they see open and active flames.
Nobody was injured and no structures were lost in the NCAR Fire.
Oliver noted that fire season is now year round. Anytime there's no snow on the ground or precipitation, fire can happen, he said.
The NCAR Fire burned in an area close to the Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in December 2021.
