Boulder Fourmile Canyon fire update: 5 locals still missing, including 1 who refused to evacuate
A couple small bits of good news from the scene of the Fourmile Canyon fire near Boulder. While media outlets like 9News are currently reporting that eight people remain missing in the area, Boulder County Sheriff's Department spokesman Commander Rick Brough confirms that number has fallen to five. Likewise, the amount of acreage engulfed has been revised downward, from 7,100 to 6,138. But, as Brough says, "It's still uncontained."
A Flickr photo
The number of folks reported missing, which once stood at twenty, stems from "calls we're getting -- family or friends, usually, who haven't heard from people."
Of the five for whom the BCSO hasn't been able to account, Brough says, "two of them live in the evacuation area, but outside the burn area. They're not in the area where the fire has been. And one of them, I know, is somebody who refused to be evacuated." Authorities are currently trying to track down all five in the hope that they're simply experiencing communication issues. In Brough's words, "we're following up now."
The change in the scope of the fire comes as the result of "us doing a flyover with infrared. It's more scientific and gives us better measurements," Brough says, adding that, right now, fire crews are "trying to hold the perimeter" in order to make sure the blaze doesn't grow.
The number of structures burned is also in flux, and Brough doesn't expect an update until this evening. The widely reported number of 92 structures destroyed is based on what he calls "a quick count. But we have 54 actual confirmations, where deputies have been able to stop and get the actual numbers."
In other words, the damage could conceivably be less than is currently believed. And while that's unlikely, maintaining hope in a situation like this one is absolutely vital, whether it applies to people, places or things.
Page down to see the addresses of confirmed structures destroyed courtesy of the Boulder Office of Emergency Management:
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