Fire on the Flatirons
Firefighters extinguished a wildfire on Boulder’s Second Flatiron this weekend. The half-acre blaze started Saturday night, according to Boulder Fire-Rescue (BFR), and was fully contained early Monday morning.
More than 20 responders worked on the fire, according to a City press release. The official cause was unknown, but natural causes were ruled out, the press release said, and BFR Wildland Chief Brian Oliver told Boulder Reporting Lab that “there was clearly some kind of human cause.”
The Boulder area experienced critical fire conditions over the Feb. 23 weekend due to high winds and low humidity, with a red flag warning issued Sunday and Monday. The National Weather Services reported gusts of 40-50 miles per hour.
There was also a half-acre wildfire north of Gross Reservoir on Sunday evening, according to Mountain View Fire Rescue. It was extinguished at 10:34 p.m. with no evacuations or threats to residences.
New climate plan for Colorado
Colorado has released an updated Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, the state’s second since 2021. “Roadmap 2.0” again calls for a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 (from 2005 levels) but was necessary because 95% of the initial roadmap’s “near-term actions” have already been achieved, according to state officials.
Roadmap 2.0 identifies 49 new near-term actions, including studying alternative uses for oil and gas wells, increasing statewide transit and passenger rail, plugging wells and encouraging “land use policies to build more housing, grow walkable neighborhoods and increase transit access.” They are meant to be implemented over the next three years.
Despite the state completing most of its first roadmap’s near-term actions, an analysis by nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in November found that Colorado would fall short of its 2030 emissions goal by about 15%, Colorado Sun reported. State officials estimate the new roadmap will help reach the 50% reduction goal by 2032. RMI assisted with emissions estimates in the updated Roadmap.
Read the full roadmap at bit.ly/3OUoBFK.
Boulder updates encampment removal policies
The City of Boulder has updated its guidelines for removal of encampments to reflect the passage of Ballot Question 302: Safe Zones 4 Kids. The measure, which called for faster removal of encampments near schools, was approved by 61% of voters in November’s municipal election.
The City uses a prioritization matrix to decide which encampments to remove first. Camps are “scored” using criteria such as life-safety risk, size and presence of crime or drugs; the higher the score, the higher priority for removal.
The previous scoring matrix allotted 20 points for proximity to a school or along a route to school, second only to encampments that threatened lives or safety. Now, 25 points are given for encampments near schools or routes to school, more than any other category.
Boulder Reporting Lab first reported the update.
In other news…
- Workers at a Longmont Starbucks (2318 17th Ave.) intend to unionize, according to a press release from Starbucks Workers United. It’s the latest local coffee shop to organize, joining Spruce Confections, Brewing Market and a Starbucks located near CU Boulder, the chain’s first Colorado location to form a union.
- The Town of Superior bought a 0.28-acre property destroyed by the Marshall Fire for use as open space. The Rodelli property, at 216 S. Third Ave. next to Coal Creek, was purchased for $540,000 and will likely be used for flood mitigation following a change in zoning.
- Paul Campos, a professor of law at CU Boulder, has settled with the university for $160,000 after alleging discrimination and retaliation. Campos chronicled his ordeal on the blog Lawyers, Guns & Money.