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Boulder Residents Anxiously Waiting At Edge Of Flagstaff Fire

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- People living in the Shanahan Ridge neighborhood were on a pre-evacuation alert while they watched the Flagstaff Fire burn on Bear Mountain.

"I think the real point is you just don't know. They're called wildfires for a reason," said Jerry English.

The fire didn't grow significantly on Wednesday, it had burned about 280-300 acres and was 30 percent contained Wednesday evening. There were no injuries and no structures burned.

The fire put several agencies in fire fighting mode. Employees with Boulder Open Space cut the tall grass and weeds surrounding the neighborhood.

A brigade of 30 firetrucks from several agencies along the Front Range converged on the neighborhood ready to fight the fire if it came close. Residents were asked to turn on their sprinklers and leave them on.

"I saw Fort Lupton, Brighton, Frederick and North Denver, all over the place," said Shanahan Ridge resident Julie Truschel.

Some 2,500 homes, businesses and schools were at risk of being in the line of fire Wednesday until their pre-evacuation orders were lifted at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

RELATED VIDEO: Flagstaff Fire Wednesday Evening Update

"It's so dry right now when you take a step you're hearing crunching, just hay or tinder," said Truschel.

Firefighters spent the day building a ditch several feet deep around the entire western edge of the neighborhood. Firefighters estimate they dug a line one mile long.

"So we thought if we put in a small mine if we needed to we could burn off of it," said Boulder Wildland Fire Chief Greg Toll.

"It's all just stuff. It's just stuff. But those are people helping you out. That's pretty cool," said English.

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