Wildfire southwest of Boulder forces 1,200 evacuations

More than 1,200 Colorado residents have been ordered to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire near the site of a destructive 2021 blaze, Boulder police said Saturday.Protected wildland is burning near the Table Mesa neighbourhood and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, police said on Twitter.

More than 1,200 Colorado residents have been ordered to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire near the site of a destructive 2021 blaze, Boulder police said Saturday.

Protected wildland is burning near the Table Mesa neighbourhood and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, police said on Twitter. Authorities are calling it the NCAR fire.

The fire is in an area where a blaze destroyed 1,000 homes last year in unincorporated Boulder County and suburban Superior and Louisville.

Superior town officials told residents in an email that there were no immediate concerns for the community.

The fire had burned about 20 acres (8 hectares) by 4 pm and was moving south-southeast toward Eldorado Springs, the Boulder County Sheriff's office said. The Boulder Fire Department was fighting the blaze.

Eldorado Canyon State Park has been closed and authorities have ordered people who are hiking or climbing in the area to evacuate. University of Colorado Boulder Police are evacuating the south campus and police blocked westbound traffic on roads near the blaze.

The fire started around 3 pm Saturday and an Emergency Operations Center was activated, Boulder police said. Emergency alerts have been sent to cellphones within a 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometer) radius of the research center.

"Message is to EVACUATE area due to fast moving wildfire #boulder," police said.

The evacuation area is bounded by U.S. 36 on the west and Baseline Road on the north, the Daily Camera reported. Other areas under evacuation orders include the Chautauqua, Interurban Park and Highland Park neighbourhoods in addition to the Boulder open space west of those neighborhoods.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the blaze.

The skies are clear and the temperature was about 73 degrees (23 degrees Celsius) with wind at about 25 mph (40 kph).

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