An emergency evacuation order has been issued for residents in Pine Brook Hill after a wildfire broke out Monday afternoon in the 2900 block of Sunshine Canyon Drive, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said in an emergency notification.
Mapleton Avenue, which becomes Sunshine Canyon Drive, remained closed west of 4th Street as of 8 p.m., fire officials said. Linden Avenue remained closed to the west of South Cedarbrook Street.
An evacuation warning was issued at 3:30 p.m. for west Boulder between Linden and University avenues, but that warning was lifted at 5:10 p.m. "due to limited fire spread and improving weather conditions," the Boulder Office of Emergency Management said in an alert to residents.
"We do not anticipate lifting the mandatory evacuation order or road closures for the #SunshineWildlandFire overnight," the agency said in a notification issued at 8:11 p.m. "Currently, an estimated 457 residents remain evacuated from 167 homes. Firefighters remain on the scene fighting the fire."
As of 5:15 p.m., the Sunshine Wildland fire had grown to around 16 acres, according to an emergency status update.
The East Boulder Community Center, at 5660 Sioux Drive, has opened as an evacuation site and will accept "small, domestic pets" with evacuees, the emergency management office said in an alert. The center will remain open overnight.
The Boulder County Fairgrounds is open for large animal evacuations, and the Humane Society of Boulder Valley is taking small animal evacuations — the organization will provide food, water, bowls and crates, according to the alert.
"Pleased have pets leashed or in crates," the notification read.
Anne U. White trail and Bald Mountain open space are closed, Boulder County Open Space said in an email notification.
The Boulder Emergency Operations Center issued an updated evacuations map at 7:20 p.m. Monday:
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality alert at 4:10 p.m. for Boulder County.
"Periods of moderate to heavy smoke from the Sunshine fire will be possible from the location of the fire approximately 2 miles to the west of Boulder, eastward along Sunshine Canyon Drive into the Boulder metro area through early Tuesday morning," the alert read.
"If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill."
If your visibility is less than five miles, smoke levels have reached unhealthy levels, the public health agency said in its alert.
This is a developing story — check back for updates.
