Sand fire rages in Santa Clarita Valley

'The most frightening thing': 10,000 homes evacuated as Sand fire rages in Santa Clarita Valley

Wind-whipped flames raged overnight in the steep, rugged mountains of the Santa Clarita Valley, charring more than 33,000 acres and threatening thousands of homes.

2 more homes confirmed destroyed by Cold Springs fire, brings total to 5

2 more homes confirmed destroyed by Cold Springs fire, brings total to 5

The blaze is estimated at 606 acres and zero percent containment

NEDERLAND — Two more homes were confirmed destroyed by the Cold Springs fire on Monday, bringing the total number of houses consumed by the blaze to five.

Officials released the news after a damage assessment team toured the burn area. Another 65 homes are within the fire’s perimeter, according to emergency managers, however no other houses are currently within the blaze’s immediate path.

The county identified the newly recognized homes destroyed in the blaze as being at 2315 Ridge Rd. and 2454 Ridge Rd. They are just north of Boulder Canyon, east of the Barker Reservoir.

More firefighters arrived on Monday to join the fight against the fire burning northeast of Nederland as crews brace for another breezy day despite cooler temperatures.

Helicopter pulls water from Barker Reservoir for #ColdSpringsFire bucket drop pic.twitter.com/aY4iSrjH1f

— Jesse Aaron Paul (@JesseAPaul) July 11, 2016

After little growth overnight, crews will be working on fire lines along Hummer Road and on Hurricane Hill and in the Bonanza area, according to the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management. One of the main goals is to keep the fire north of Boulder Canyon, which remains closed, and away from a large neighborhood that sits on the south side.

“We’re definitely prepared for a hard day,” said Gabi Boerkircher, spokeswoman for the emergency management office. “We’ll just have to see where the wind directs the fire. We definitely do not want (the fire) to cross Boulder Canyon.”

Two spot fires jumped the canyon road Sunday night but crews quickly contained them, according to the Monday morning update. Crews will be stationed in fire engines along Boulder Canyon Drive to watch for any new spot fires on the south side.

Even on Saturday, a few hours after the fire broke out about 1:45 p.m., flames were making runs toward the road.

“Cooler temperatures will make firefighting a little more comfortable for crews battling the Cold Spring fire, but humidity is still low and winds are predicted to be erratic,” the emergency management office said in a briefing bulletin.

Getting breezy early in Ned pic.twitter.com/FEvhIWtS1b

— Jesse Aaron Paul (@JesseAPaul) July 11, 2016

A Red Flag warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. over the area, with forecasters warning of gusts up to 40 mph. Cooler temperatures are expected, and a high of 73 degrees is forecast around the burn zone.

Winds were already picking up about 8:45 a.m. in Nederland. Little smoke was visible, however, as the temperature rose with the sun getting higher in the sky.

“Rapid fire growth and spread will be possible,” the National Weather Service in Boulder said in a forecast bulletin. “Any outdoor burning is strongly discouraged.”

The blaze, which has already burned three homes and three outbuildings, is estimated at 606 acres with no containment. About 2,000 people have been evacuated from a large swath of area as fire commanders brace for the blaze to grow. Contingency plans are in place to move more people out of the area should the fire expand.

Teams are working Monday morning to determine if any other structures have burned. Boerkircher said authorities should know by about 10 a.m. if additional homes were lost.

Boulder County sheriff’s detectives on Sunday afternoon arrested two men from Alabama at the Nederland High School evacuation site in connection with the blaze. They are suspected of being behind a poorly extinguished campfire that ignited the spreading fire.

Campers Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, and Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, both of Vinemont, Ala., face felony arson charges because, according to investigators, “lives were endangered as a result of the fire.” The men were booked into the Boulder County jail.

“I’m kind of put out over it,” Rachael Dew said Monday morning of the fire’s cause. “You need to be better educated about fires if you are going to come up here and camp.”

Dew, who was working at the town’s co-op, said the blaze has been stressful for the community. While she hasn’t been evacuated yet, Dew said she has packed up belongings just in case.

With the town’s main artery — Boulder Canyon — closed, there are worries about declining tourism revenues.

Laura Vega, who was evacuated from her home Saturday when the fire broke out nearby, said that Sunday was noticeably slower in Nederland once traffic from Boulder was cut off. The first night away from her house, she slept in the town’s accounting office before moving to a friends place.

“I heard that firefighters did an amazing job in saving our houses,” Vega said. She went through three or four rounds of packing as flames approached her home, grabbing autographed pictures, a Neil Young box CD set and Peruvian weavings among the items she ushered to safety.

Many homeowners forced to flee had livestock in tow. An evacuation center for animals at the Gilpin County fairgrounds had filled up by Sunday night.

More than 450 firefighters, aided by a dozen aircraft, will continue Monday to fight the flames and work to establish a perimeter, according to the Boulder OEM. Officials say one of the main goals is to attack the blaze head-on.

Incident commanders noted just before 11 p.m. on Sunday that fire runs in the afternoon pushed over lines of fire retardant put down by aircraft.

Latest map of #ColdSpringsFire
— Orange is burn area
— Yellow is evacuation zone
— Red dotted lines road closures pic.twitter.com/tBI7TaNRYj

— Matt Sebastian (@mattsebastian) July 11, 2016

“Crowning, torching and spotting are common,” officials said on a website created to release information about the blaze. “New fire perimeter has stretched ground resources, making current air resources critical to success. Fire has spread over roads previously used as escape routes, further limiting tactical options. Predictions for fire growth indicate the potential for significant structure and infrastructure loss, along with closures of two adjacent state highways.”

At 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, command of the Cold Springs fire fight was transferred to Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black. The Type II team specializes in commanding battles against major blazes.


source: denverpost