Goat Trail wildfire in Boulder prompts evacuation warning in North Boulder
This is a developing story and will be updated. It was last updated at 9:20 a.m., when the fire reached 100% containment.
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A wildfire burning on the Goat Trail near the Sanitas Valley and Dakota Ridge trails in Boulder prompted an evacuation warning in north Boulder early Wednesday, with officials urging residents to prepare to leave if conditions changed. The fire, known as the Goat Trail fire, was initially estimated at 2 to 3 acres, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
As of 9:20 a.m., the fire is 100% contained, and all evacuation warnings have been lifted. Crews are continuing to monitor the area, and the scene remains active. No injuries were reported, and no structures were lost.
Earlier Wednesday, fire crews stopped the forward progress of the fire. The Goat Trail, on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks land, is currently closed. Sanitas Valley Trail, Dakota Ridge, Sanitas East Ridge and Sanitas West Ridge trails are also closed.
The fire is burning west of the 200 block of Hawthorne Avenue and was estimated at 1.9 acres as of 6:35 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Door-to-door evacuation notices were conducted out of caution and were not official evacuation orders. A planned water drop by air support at 8 a.m. was canceled due to lack of need, according to Boulder Fire-Rescue.
The sheriff’s office said people within the warning area should gather essential items and be ready to go, especially those who may need extra time.
“If you need assistance or might need extra time, begin your evacuation now,” the city’s emergency alert stated.
The City of Boulder Emergency Notification System issued the warning at 3:56 a.m. for areas west of the 200 block of Hawthorne Avenue.
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The evacuation warning area was originally bounded by Linden Drive to the north, Sunshine Canyon Drive to the south and Broadway to the east.
Boulder Fire-Rescue, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies are responding to the fire.
An evacuation warning means residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Officials advise gathering essential items, making a plan for pets and monitoring alerts.
A map of the affected area and additional information was available at BOCO911Alert.org.
Officials have not yet released any information on the cause of the fire.
The Goat Trail fire is now the third wildfire in or near Boulder city limits since February, following the Bluebell Fire southwest of Chautauqua and a vegetation fire south of Chautauqua near Enchanted Mesa Trail earlier this week.
The fires come as Boulder enters spring under extremely dry conditions. Boulder has now fallen 50 inches below normal snowfall season-to-date, according to BoulderCAST. Fire officials say fuels are fully cured, snowpack is far below normal and red flag conditions have arrived earlier than usual. Combined with periods of low humidity and wind, those conditions have raised concerns about an early and potentially severe fire season if ignitions occur.
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