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Sunshine Fire Drew Major Response From Firefighters

By Dillon Thomas

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Many residents in Boulder County remained on evacuation notice Sunday night, after waking up to an early morning emergency.

Firefighters responding to the Sunshine Fire were waking up residents in West Boulder, after a 62 acre fire sparked.

Sunshine Fire
(credit: CBS)

"About 3:30 or four this morning, all a sudden there was pounding on the door," said Rebecca Fowler, a six-year resident of Boulder.

Some residents between Pearl St. and Boulder Canyon Dr. were able to notice why first responders were waking them up, by simply opening their doors.

"The glow [from the fire] was pretty intense. You could see the smoke, and smell it," said Liz Lindquist, a resident who lives near the fire.

"You could smell the fire. The ash was coming down," Fowler said. "[The possibility of fire] is in the back of your mind. But, it has never been this close to us before."

More than 250 firefighters from several different agencies responded to the fire.

Some said the fire was properly named, given the recent dry conditions across Colorado.

"A lot of the fire perimeter is remote, and it will be very difficult to get water up there," a spokesman for the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

Residents in Boulder were able to watch, as crews battled the fire from the ground, and above.

"They were able to attack the fire really well today from the air," the spokesman said.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said the fire was only 50 percent contained leading into Sunday night. The fear of wind gusts has caused firefighters to remain vigilant in furthering containment numbers.

"There will be fire crews on the perimeter overnight," the spokesman said.

Some told CBS4's Dillon Thomas they knew living near the foothills came with inherint risk. However, they never expected fires to encroach toward the City of Boulder.
"You see the other fires up further in the canyon, and you never think it is going to happen to you," Lindquist said. [The continuing fire] is in the back of our mind. But, there is nothing we can really do about it."

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.

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