Wildfire sets sights on Boulder as wind picks up

BOULDER, Colo. — Neighborhoods once filled with million-dollar homes and scenic mountain cabins have become piles of smoking rubble. On one lot, all that survived was a tennis court. On others, all that's left are crumbling, ash-covered foundations.They were among the nearly 170 homes destroyed by a Colorado wildfire that showed no signs of relenting Thursday as wind gusts of up to 60 mph threatened to send the flames into the heart of Boulder.Authorities told residents on the west side of Boulder to be prepared to evacuate if the wildfire moves into town, urging people to remove lawn furniture, brush and propane tanks that could fuel the fire. The city is also mowing grass in open spaces to cut down on potential fuel, and telling residents to do the same."The wind event tonight, we could be off to the races," said Rob Bozeman, field observer with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District.Boulder is a city of about 100,000 people that is home to the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal laboratory best known for running the atomic clock that's used to maintain the official U.S. time. Employees there were allowed to leave work if they needed to go home to prepare of a possible evacuation, said spokesman James Burrus.Authorities said the biggest fire danger exists on the north side of Broadway, the main drag in Boulder. The federal lab is located on Broadway, and the edge of the campus is on the eastern side. Many sorority and fraternity houses are on the western side of the road."This is absolutely a precaution. But it's an active fire. High winds are expected," said emergency management team spokesman Dan Rowland.The frantic preparations in Boulder show the ferocity of the wildfire since it broke out Monday and spread to a 10-square-mile area. It has since become one of the most destructive fires in Colorado, destroying more homes than any other blaze in state history.About 3,500 people have been out of their homes for four days, and some residents ha

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