4:50 p.m. Update: Staff at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, are stabling livestock by the hundreds, according to Fairgrounds Manager Joe LaFollette. Approximately 200 horses, 19 mustangs and around a dozen cattle have sheltered in the Fairgrounds, LaFollette said. The Fairground Campgrounds also has a some space for people dropping off live stock, if they have nowhere else to stay, he added.
4:14 p.m. Update: Boulder OEM has opened a public information call center for both the Marshall and Middle Fork fires. The public can call 303-413-7730 for updated information.
3:55 p.m. Update: Patients at the Avista Adventist Hospital are being evacuated and transferred to Longmont United Hosptial and St. Anthony North Hospital. As of 1:30 p.m. the hospital was placed on pre-evacuation notice and has since moved NICU, ICU and ED patients, according to a news release from the hospital this afternoon. Medical-surgery patients and staff are sheltering in place. Roads nearby the facility have closed.
A patient and associate line has been set up for inquiries about loved ones and family. The number is 303-661-1848.
Update: The South Boulder Rec Center is no longer an evacuation center. The city of Boulder is moving the evacuation center to the North Boulder Rec Center located at 3170 Broadway. This facility is not a shelter facility but has resources for those in need, according to Boulder OEM.
Update: Another evacuation shelter has opened at the First Bank Center, located at 11450 Broomfield Ln in Broomfield. Residents from Louisville, Boulder and Superior are being routed to this and the shelters at the YMCA in Lafayette, the Longmont Senior Center and the South Boulder Rec Center.
The following map shows road closures and evacuations zones.
Update: Avista Adventist Hospital has evacuated the hospital due to the fire. UCHealth Broomfield has received six burn victims as of 3 p.m.
First responders continue to move the evacuation lines as the Marshall fire spread. Teams are knocking on doors and rescuing people from homes in the area.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management has set up a command center at the Flatirons Crossing mall. The mall was closed to eliminate traffic in the area.
Update: Boulder Office of Emergency Management has now opened three evacuations centers, the YMCA in Lafayette, South Boulder Rec Center and Longmont Senior Center for both the Middle Fork and Marshall fires.
Update: Residents of Superior are being evacuated. Possible evacuations may go into effect for Louisville, per the Boulder County Sheriff's Office scanner.
Highway 36 from CO 66 to Nelson Road is closed due to the Middle Fork Fire.
Original story: Two small grass fires have broken out near Boulder. Officials believe the cause is from power lines that were downed due to high winds, blowing the transformers, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office stated.
The first is located just north of the city near North Foothills Highway and Middle Fork Road. This fire is being named Middle Fork fire. The second is south of the city and is reported to be close to S. Cherryvale Road and Marshall Drive. Authorities are referring to this fire as the Marshall fire.
The fires are causing several roads in the area to be closed including Highway 36 in both directions.
Boulder Office of Emergency Management issued an evacuation for any resident who can see fire. The office is encouraging residents to flee either east or north and to leave immediately.
An evacuation site has been set up for both fires at the Sacred Heart of Mary Church located at 6739 S. Boulder Rd. in Boulder, the South Boulder Rec Center and the Longmont Senior Center.
Large animals in need of evacuation can be relocated to the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more becomes available.
