All evacuation areas and road restrictions will be lifted at 8 p.m. tonight.
Crews have been very active on the fire lines today. A containment line 100 feet wide is now in place around the fire perimeter. The anticipated cold front has already arrived. The front did not produce the winds that were anticipated and it is now aiding in the cooling of the fire. Tonight the fire area will have a relative humidity of 85-95%. Power has been restored to the entire area.
Based on the above information, all evacuations and road restrictions will be lifted at 8 p.m. Residents are asked to use use care and caution as they reenter the area. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office will have deputies in the area to help facilitate the safe and orderly return to the region.
Today the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, along with Evergreen Fire, conducted a cause and origin investigation. The investigative team has determined that a 48 foot tree came into contact with two power lines. The tree acted as a ground wire, causing a fire to burn at the base of the tree. This resulted in a two foot hole that burned into the ground and ignited a ground fire. This fire became the Bluebell Fire. The team's official report will be available for release in a few weeks.
The estimated size of the fire has been revised down to approximately 10 acres.
The current cost estimate for firefighting efforts is $80,000.
At 8 p.m. the Jefferson County Incident Management Team will pass the firefighting efforts back to Evergreen Fire Department.
