Large Wildfire Near Colorado 470 Forced Evacuation of Residents in Ken Caryl Valley
Crews are working to contain a wildfire that broke out in Jefferson County, with pre-evacuation orders imposed for the Ken Caryl Valley residents.
A social media post sent out by the West Metro Fire Rescue said that the wildfire was near Colorado 470 and Kipling Street, according to The Denver Post report.
West Metro Officials named the wildfire the Oak Fire. The Jefferson County Sherriff's Office particularly said that the blaze is burning on Hogback, which is the ridge of the west of the highway.
The sheriff's office tweeted that things are changing quickly and advised residents to monitor for changes.
The Colorado State Patrol has shut down Colorado 470 between West Ken Caryl Avenue and Kipling, urging drivers to avoid the area without any estimated reopening time.
Meanwhile, Jefferson and Clear Creek counties have been put on accident alert while authorities respond to the fire.
West Metro officials said that the Oak Fire continued to travel north and west, with residents were allowed to return home, according to a CBS Local News report.
The smoke from the wildfire was visible across Littleton and parts of the Denver metro area on Monday afternoon.
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Oak Fire Wildfire
West Metro called in help from neighboring departments with the agency having no planes or helicopters immediately available in the area to contain the fire.
South Metro Fire Rescue is one of the agencies fighting the blaze, sharing a photo of Twitter of the smoke plume visible from downtown Littleton.
West Metro noted that a single-engine air tanker plane has been dispatched from the Fort Collins area. It is also seen to start helping crews on the ground.
The Oak Fire has not burned any structures at the time.
West Metro official Ronda Scholting noted that the department first received calls from an apartment complex about the fire moving very fast due to strong winds, according to a KOAA News report.
Evacuated residents were told to go to Chatfield High School with the sheriff's office advising that anyone evacuated to check-in at the high school location, even if they do not have plans to stay there.
Grass Fire on University of Colorado Boulder's East Campus
A spokesperson with the University of Colorado Police Department said that a woman was arrested in connection with a grass fire on the campus.
The suspect's identity has not been released. She currently facing second-degree arson and reckless endangerment charges.
The woman was booked at the Boulder County Jail, according to The Denver Channel report.
The department noted that a small fire broke out near the Space Science Building on East Coast. The fire had burned 6.3 acres by the time it was contained at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Among the agencies that assisted in the response were Boulder Police Department, Boulder Rural Fire Department, Boulder County Sheriff's Office, and Fourmile Fire.
In addition to that, Louisville Fire Protection District, Lafayette Fire Department, Lefthand Fire, and Boulder Mountain Fire also helped in the incident.
CU Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst expressed gratitude for the help of their local partner agencies in responding to the fire and assisting in the investigation.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Mandatory evacuations lifted in Jefferson County after brush fire erupts near C-470 and Kipling - from Denver7 - The Denver Channel
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