COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Authorities on Thursday evacuated the entire towns of Superior and Louisville as a number of large grass fires burned throughout Boulder County amid extremely high winds.
As of noon, there were three active grass fires in the county, according to the Boulder Emergency Operations Center, which was activated to respond to the fires.
The first fire, called the Middle Fork fire, is north of the city of Boulder near the intersection of North Foothills Highway and Middle Fork Road. The second, called the Marshall fire, is south of the city near South Cherryvale Road and Marshall Drive. A third unnamed fire is burning near South Foothills Highway and Marshall Road.
The National Weather Service in Boulder called the fire conditions "life threatening" for people in Superior and Louisville.
An evacuation order was issued for all residents in Superior just before 1 p.m. Louisville residents were ordered to evacuate an hour later. In addition to official notices, anyone who can see any of the fires is asked to evacuate immediately.
Authorities have set up evacuation centers at the South Boulder Rec Center at 1360 Gillaspie Dr., the Longmont Senior Center at 910 Longs Peak Ave. and the Lafayette YMCA at 2800 Dagny Way. A large animal evacuation site is open at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont.
"If you’re in Boulder please stay home and off the roads if you can," the Boulder Police Department said in a statement. "We know the smoke is making it hard for drivers to see, clogging the roads, while first responders are handling multiple calls."
At least some of the fires were sparked by downed power lines, which were pushed over by extreme winds in the county, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office reported two grass fires at 10:30 a.m. in the 5000 block of North Broadway and near North Foothills Highway and Middle Fork Road. The Broadway fire was contained at 1 acre, while the Middle Fork fire is still burning.
All westbound lanes of U.S. 36 and northbound lanes of North Foothills Highway between Nebo Road and Ute Highway are closed due to the fire, deputies said.
The National Weather Service in Boulder said high winds are causing the fires to spread. The weather service predicted winds of 25 to 40 mph throughout the county, with gusts of up to 80 mph on Thursday.
“This is becoming a very high impact wind event for our area, please take it seriously and abide by any evacuation orders from local authorities,” the weather service said in a statement.
It is currently unclear how big the fires are. Smoke from the fires is visible throughout the entire county and in neighboring cities like Broomfield.
Open burning is not allowed in Boulder County on Thursday, according to Boulder Fire Rescue.
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