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Crews Keep Flagstaff Fire at Bay

Photo by Kirk Siegler

In Boulder, the Flagstaff Fire remains at about 230 acres and hasn’t grown considerably today though a couple thousand pre-evacuation orders are still in effect for neighborhoods on the south side of the city as the blaze continues to threaten scores of homes and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

The fire's close proximity to Boulder has drawn inevitable comparisons to the Waldo Canyon Fire which has destroyed an untold number of homes and forced thousands to flee in Colorado Springs.

One clear difference, according to Boulder Police spokeswoman Kim Kobel, is that the city doesn’t have homes built up mountainsides, as is the case in Colorado Springs. She says city open space creates a natural "buffer" between the forests and homes.

"Because of city regulations, also wood shingles are not allowed, we don’t have that issue with homes going up that mountain so what we’re trying to do is create defensible space around those neighborhoods," Kobel says.

As Kobel was speaking Wednesday afternoon at a news conference, more thunder and lightning was rolling into Boulder reportedly setting off some new fire starts. 

The Flagstaff Fire did get some rain, but not enough to make things a game-changer.

Kirk Siegler reports for NPR, based out of NPR West in California.