The CalWood fire was 17% contained Monday evening after growing only slightly throughout the day to 9,106 acres, according to officials. Meanwhile, containment of the Lefthand Canyon fire, which had grown to 386 acres stood at 4%.
“The use of aerial assets was effective on both fires today as winds were diminished from the past two days,” officials stated in a post at 10:09 p.m. Monday to the official fire information page. “Higher elevation winds are expected at times over the next two days with the highest wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph occurring overnight tonight above 8,000 feet. Engines will be out working on both fires throughout the night.”
Conditions held through the afternoon Monday, allowing the aerial support for ground crews, according to officials, and they stated crews were making good progress in constructing line and mopping up on both fires.
Nearly 3,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area because of the CalWood fire that was first reported Saturday afternoon. The number of structures burned remained at 26 on Monday, according to officials. However, the far western section of the burn area was still too active for the assessment team to reach.
The Lefthand Canyon fire, which was reported on Sunday, forced the town of Ward to evacuate.
Evacuation zones, as well as areas under evacuation warnings and road closures, can be viewed here.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management call center, which was shut down Monday due to technical difficulties, will reopen at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Officials will hold a virtual community meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday via Facebook. The meeting will include updated information about both fires and officials will answer questions about firefighting efforts, strategy and evacuations, according to a post announcing the meeting.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an Air Quality Action Day Alert for the Front Range from Douglas County north to Larimer and Weld counties, including the Denver-Boulder area, Fort Collins and Greeley, until at least 4 p.m. Tuesday.
