BOULDER, Colo. — Hundreds, if not thousands of residents of west Boulder were forced to flee their homes Friday as a wind-fueled wildfire burned in the foothills

The Dome Fire, burning roughly ¼ mile west of Boulder Canyon, was estimated at 20 acres as of noon. It was first reported shortly after 8 a.m.

From the Boulder Office of Emergency Management:

The City of Boulder has begun mandatory evacuations of neighborhoods in west Boulder. All residences and businesses within the following boundaries are being ordered to evacuate: west of 7th Street from Canyon Boulevard on the south to North Street on the north. An evacuation center has been established at the Coors Event Center on the University of Colorado — Boulder campus. There are an estimated 1,700 people and 800 units within these boundaries.

(MAP OF EVACUATED AREAS)

The evacuations are in response to the Dome wildfire in Boulder Canyon near Dome Rock on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks property. More than two dozen firefighters are on scene working the fire, and a one-seat plane has been making drops of retardant in the area. Additional ground and air support has been requested.

“As a precaution and to aid responders dealing with the Dome Fire, we are ordering a mandatory evacuation in some neighborhoods within the city,” said City Manager Jane S. Brautigam. “We are asking that residents follow the directions of emergency crews now so that emergency equipment can be positioned and crews can focus on extinguishing the wildfire. Resident and business cooperation is greatly appreciated as we work to contain this fire.”

Officials said no homes were immediately threatened.

Firefighters are initiating a back burn operation that will result in significant power outages. Outages will occur from 28th Street to Nederland from Baseline Road and Iris Avenue in the city and Allenspark to Coal Creek in the mountains. This situation is expected to last for the next four hours.

Additional evacuated areas:
Canon Park Subdivision, base of Boulder Canyon
Mouth of Sunshine Canyon up to Poorman Road, includes Seven Hills subdivision and Anemone Rd.
Knollwood Subdivision

Boulder Canyon (State Hwy 119) is closed at Settler’s Park in Boulder

181 phone numbers have been contacted through the reverse notification system to evacuate their homes

A call center has been established for the Dome Fire. Affected residents can call 303-441-7730 for more information. Please do not call 9-1-1 with non-emergencies.

Boulder Community Hospital Mapleton and Maxwell facilities are being evacuated by 11:30 a.m. No patients should come to the either out patient facility. There are no evacuations scheduled at this time for Boulder Community Hospital on N. Broadway.

Boulder Humane Society @ 303-442-4030 and the Boulder County Fairgrounds @ 303-548-6530 have been notified and are preparing for displaced animals.

Boulder County Public Health issues health advisory in response to fire

Due to the possibility of rapid weather changes, it is difficult to predict the condition of air quality related to current the fire. In general, if you can see or smell smoke, it is recommended that you avoid outdoor physical activities. If visibility is decreased in your neighborhood to less than five miles, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Boulder Office of Emergency Management information