Firefighters worked into the night to contain a wildfire in the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado, that forced evacuations from hundreds of homes Sunday.
Against the backdrop of smoke billowing into the sky, firefighters managed to contain 50% of the relatively small but potentially destructive blaze by late Sunday evening.
With flames sizzling at the edge of Sunshine Canyon, crews planned to keep a close watch on the perimeter of the 62-acre fire overnight, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said.
“There was minimal spread within the footprint,” Cmdr. Mike Wagner of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
A total of 426 homes were evacuated before dawn Sunday, according to OEM officials. The mandatory evacuation remained in place into Monday morning.
“The (weather) forecast is a little concerning,” Wagner said.
Unseasonable warm temperatures, breezy conditions and low humidity will increase the danger of the so-called Sunshine Fire going into Monday, the National Weather Service warns.
More than 250 personnel from across the Denver metropolitan worked to put out hotspots and flare-ups after the OEM received a 911 call about the fire shortly after midnight Sunday, officials said.
There have been no reports of property loss, structural damage or injuries, OEM officials said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
