BOULDER, Colo. — The fire burning in the Bluebell area near Chautauqua Park is 100% contained, according to a 6:30 p.m. update from Boulder Fire. Trails in the area will be closed for the foreseeable future, fire officials said at a 3:45 p.m. briefing Saturday.
Despite the warm, dry conditions that have persisted throughout this winter, Boulder Fire Chief Michael Calderazzo said at the briefing the outlook was good for fighting the fire into the evening.
“We expect that the weather’s going to pretty much cooperate with us,” he said at the briefing.
The fire, which was reported around 12:45 p.m., prompted an evacuation warning in the area of Chautauqua cottages around 1:25 p.m., but ultimately no one needed to evacuate the 300 buildings fire officials were initially concerned about, Chief Calderazzo said.
“Very quickly, we knew this was not going to spread very fast into the city,” he said.
No structures were affected and it “never really got close” to the cottages, the chief said. There have been no reported injuries.
There were, however, hundreds of people on the popular trail system who had to be evacuated.
Calderazzo said getting everyone off of the trails took several hours.
WATCH: Boulder Fire Chief Michael Calderazzo provides an update on the Bluebell Fire
Trails in Chautauqua, Enchanted Mesa and Green Mountain will be closed “for the foreseeable future, until we get the fire knocked down and let the investigation take its course,” he said. The 5:05 p.m. update said trails would be closed through the night.
Calderazzo said he did not know whether the fire, which he said is on open space property in unincorporated Boulder County, had burned within the boundaries of Chautauqua Park.
The fire is estimated to be about 1.5 acres as of 5 p.m. More than 100 firefighters were working to fight the fire and more than nine agencies were assisting. A state helicopter, which is now on standby, also helped to fight the fire.
The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation.
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