Thornton Fire: Evacuation Underway Amid Massive Grassfire Across The Denver Metro Area

Thornton police officers went door-to-door Wednesday afternoon to evacuate residents after a fast-moving grass fire sparked near a high school, according to law enforcement. The fire ignited near West 84th Avenue and Huron Street, close to Pinnacle Charter High School, prompting evacuations of the school and nearby businesses. Several roads around the fire were closed, and the evacuation area was said to cover neighborhoods northeast of the blaze, though the exact boundaries were unclear.,“While we do have emergency personnel conducting manual evacuations, anyone who does not feel safe should evacuate,” the Thornton Police Department said.,The grass fire sent a large plume of thick, black smoke drifting over Interstate 25, causing major traffic disruptions across the Denver metro area. Cameras along I-25 showed smoke crossing the highway just after noon.,As of 1:20 PM, northbound I-25 was closed between Colorado 53/58th Avenue in North Washington and 104th Avenue in Thornton for “safety concerns,” according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The on-ramp from northbound I-25 to eastbound US 36 was also shut down. Southbound I-25 between North Washington and Thornton was temporarily closed but reopened shortly before 1:20 p.m.,Travelers were advised to expect delays due to reduced visibility from drifting smoke.,Initially, residents unable to return home were directed to Water World as a safe location. A formal evacuation shelter was later established at the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd.,Local outlet Denver7 reported receiving the first alerts about the large smoke plume shortly before 11:55 AM from a reporter near Westminster High School. A Westminster police spokesperson said the smoke was not coming from their jurisdiction and directed inquiries to Thornton authorities.,Todd Barnes with the City of Thornton initially described the situation as a “field on fire,” but Thornton police later clarified on X that the smoke was caused by a grass fire near 84th and Huron.,The fire also led to widespread power outages. According to Xcel Energy’s outage map, thousands of customers were without power Wednesday afternoon. More than 2,900 customers in Jefferson County near Arvada and Westminster were affected, along with around 200 customers in Adams County near Sherrelwood and dozens of smaller outages in surrounding areas.,Xcel Energy spokesperson Michelle Aguayo said the utility had not proactively de-energized power lines but was working with fire crews and prepared to shut down lines if necessary.,Emergency response efforts remain ongoing as authorities continue managing evacuations, power disruptions and traffic impacts caused by the fast-moving grass fire.,Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World. Read more