Crews quickly contain small grass fire in foothills near Evergreen

Crews quickly contained a small a grass fire Monday near Rainbow Hill Road, north of Evergreen and the El Rancho exit.

Jefferson County emergency officials said the small fire, burning on top of a hill, was fully contained shortly after 5 p.m.  A message on X, formerly known as Twitter, said orders for people in the Summit Ranch Drive neighborhood to evacuate the area were replaced by pre-evacuation orders.

Jefferson County sheriff’s spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley said people were notified of the fire, but no mandatory evacuation orders  were issued.

The fire was visible from Interstate 70. The estimated size of the fire and the time it started weren’t clear.

The agencies responding to the fire included Evergreen Fire Rescue, Foothills Fire Protection District, Genesee Fire Rescue and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Winds of 20 mph and stronger were reported in the Denver area and foothills. The National Weather Service in Boulder said the fire danger would be high Sunday in part of the Eastern Plains where temperatures were in the mid-to-high 90s.

Crews are making good progress on the #rainbowfire. Evacuations are still in place for the Summit Ranch Neighborhood. @jeffcosheriffco pic.twitter.com/LgYDzaEflt

— Foothills Fire Protection District (@FireFoothills) September 4, 2023