The Hi Meadow fire, located southwest of Denver near the town of Pine, was almost 25 percent contained by Friday morning. To the north of Denver, about 90 miles away, the Bobcat fire was 15 percent contained. High winds on Thursday, blowing at up to 60 mph, fanned the flames and made the job difficult for firefighters. More than 200 National Guardsman joined the 1,500 firefighters already on the scene. On Friday, officials were more optimistic.
Humidity is up.
The fire behavior won't be as erratic as it has been. The winds will die down. We will have quite an air show. Some evacuees were allowed to return to their homes briefly on Thursday to check on pets and pick up belongings. But as the winds whipped the fires into more powerful blazes throughout the day, officials asked the residents to leave the vicinity.