BOULDER COUNTY — A wildfire near Fourmile Canyon was contained within hours during Christmas week, but not before hundreds of residents were put on alert and forced to leave their homes. 

The blaze was first reported around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 22, 2025, in the 700 block of Wild Turkey Trail, in "a very narrow area" off Fourmile Canyon Drive northwest of Boulder, according to Boulder County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Vinnie Montez. 

Initially covering two acres, it spread to three before being fully contained later that evening, Montez said.

One evacuation order and two evacuation warnings were issued to a combined 662 people and 499 structures. Evacuation orders were lifted Monday night, and residents were able to return by early Tuesday.

The fire’s forward motion was stopped by 9 p.m., officials said, but the dry conditions and ongoing high winds, combined with the narrow canyon road, prompted officials to wait to lift the evacuation orders and warnings.

"We don’t want to send people back in until fire crews are completely confident," Montez said.

Boulder County was under a red flag warning when the blaze began, prompted by high winds buffeting the area. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph were recorded at the time of the fire, Montez noted, causing first responders concern about continued flare-up and spread even after the flames were contained. 

Fire restrictions were also in place on Monday, December 22. Open burning of any kind was prohibited.

Information about the cause of the fire has not been released. The Emergency Operations Center, jointly run by the City of Boulder and Boulder County, was not activated for the fire.

Fourmile Canyon experienced a devastating wildfire in September 2010, when 6,200 acres burned for 11 days amid dry conditions and high winds. More than 150 homes were lost in that fire.