Update: 4:25 p.m.

The Olde Stage Road will re-open to residents at 6:30 this evening, said sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West. Authorities expect full containment of the fire by 8 p.m.

Firefighters will remain on scene through Friday morning to watch for hot spots.

Update: 3:12 p.m.

The Olde Stage Road will likely be opened to residents sometime this evening, according to a Boulder County spokeswoman.

The decision on whether it's safe to allow evacuated residents back into the area will be made sometime around 4:30 p.m.

Update: 1:17 p.m.

Hundreds of families returned to their homes Thursday as firefighters continued battling strong winds to gain control of a blaze that burned seven buildings — including four homes — and scorched at least 1,400 acres north of Boulder.

Evacuation orders were lifted neighborhood by neighborhood throughout most of the day Thursday, as more than 75 firefighters and dozens more police and animal control officers continued to battle the blaze, which began as two fires about a mile apart Wednesday afternoon and combined to create one giant fire scene.

Although Boulder County sheriff’s officials said they called more than 11,400 homes within a mile radius of the fire’s path — telling them to leave — sheriff’s Cmdr. Phil West said an assessment made Thursday indicated only 600 to 700 families actually evacuated overnight.

Fewer than 100 homes, off of Olde Stage Road and its small feeder roads, remain evacuated, West said. Hot spots in the area are keeping the neighborhood off limits to anxious owners.

The fire is 30 percent contained, and no structures are currently threatened.

On Wednesday, two houses and three barns burned down while a third home suffered significant damage and another's porch was scorched. Several other outbuildings and small structures were also consumed, according to county spokespeople.

Dozens of homes were saved by firefighters who worked 20-hour shifts, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said Thursday.

Update: 12:05 p.m.

Sheriff's officials are hopeful that the fire will be fully contained by tonight, sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West said. More than 150 people from 25 law enforcement agencies are on scene.

Most roads near the fire lines have been re-opened. Fewer than 100 homes off Olde Stage Road remain closed to residents, West said.

Officials have still not determined the cause of the Olde Stage Road fire, but believe it started with downed power lines, West said.

The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are providing meals for firefighters.

Update: 11:36 a.m.

Almost all of the 11,500 families evacuated for the Olde Stage Road Fire are being allowed home as firefighters gain ground on the blaze, spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.

U.S. 36 and Lee Hill Road are now open, as is the Dakota Ridge neighborhood. Only people who live along Olde Stage Road and its small feeder roads remain evacuated, Huntley said.

Sheriff Joe Pelle said he's "very optimistic we'll have this controlled by the end of the day as long as the wind doesn't pick up."

If winds cooperate, firefighters might use air support to get greater containment, Huntley said.

Update: 11:06 a.m.

Dozens of the families evacuated during the peak of the Olde Stage Road Fire on Wednesday are heading back to their homes.

About 20 families stayed overnight at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Longmont for a reduced rate. The hotel welcomed animals and waived pet fees, offered free dinner and breakfast for all evacuees and sent people away with care packages.

At about 8:30 a.m., several families — who munched on eggs, bacon, muffins and cereal and tried to keep dogs from snagging sausage off the table — celebrated news that they could return to undamaged homes.

"That's our next stop," said Tamara Doolittle, 47. First, though, she said she and her husband might swing past an office-supply floor to pick up a tub to organize all their important papers — in case there's a next time.

Update: 8:54 a.m.

Firefighters are gaining ground on the fire burning north of Boulder. U.S. 36 -- which had been closed since Wednesday afternoon -- is now open to traffic, Sheriff Joe Pelle announced at an 8:30 a.m. press conference this morning.

"This fire is rapidly becoming more controlled," he said. "We're very optimistic we'll have this controlled by the end of the day as long as the wind doesn't pick up."

Evacuation orders have been lifted for homes east of U.S. 36, including the Lake Valley and North Rim subdivisions. Areas west of the highway are still closed, including the Crestview neighborhood.

Sheriff's officials will hold another news conference at 11:30 a.m., when they hope to have more information on when residents can return to their homes.

More than 200 firefighters and 50 law enforcement and animal control officers worked to control the blaze late Wednesday and early Thursday, Pelle said.

The sheriff praised those officials for evacuating residents and protecting homes.

"The effort that went into suppressing this fire last night was exhausting and downright heroic," he said. "The firefighters did save a number of homes. ... The fact that no one was killed or seriously injured in a wind-driven event like this is miraculous."

Update: 8:06 a.m.

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Update: 7:37 a.m.

Emergency personnel are now reporting that 1,400 acres have burned within a 3,600-acre area, and firefighters are hoping to have the blaze 100 percent contained by this afternoon.

The fire is 30 percent contained at this time, and the emphasis this morning remains on structure protection and suppressing hot spots, officials said.

Just two people who were evacuated late Wednesday spent the night at Centennial Middle School in Boulder, said Boulder Valley School District spokesman Briggs Gamblin. A Red Cross worker will remain at the school today.

The Marriott Courtyard hotel in Longmont took in several of the evacuees.

Gamblin said the district's school buses this morning will follow their normal routes, but it's possible two routes will be affected: 510 and 514. If roads remain closed, there will be no bus service to those areas, he said.

Several bus routes in the St. Vrain Valley School District could be altered, depending on bus access this morning. Information about both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley changes will be posted to their Web sites at www.stvrain.k12.co.us and www.bvsd.org.

The National Weather Service is forecasting Boulder will remain breezy today, with a west wind between 18 and 24 mph and with gusts reaching 33 mph. Temperatures are supposed to peak at 63 degrees.

Update: 7:06 a.m.

Firefighters have just reported that another residential home has burned and is a total loss. The address of that home isn’t known at this time, and it’s unclear when the house was consumed.

Another home at 6234 Olde Stage Road is threatened at this time, and firefighters are calling for backup resources to protect it, according to dispatch reports. Just before 7 a.m., fire crews said the blaze was threatening the Olde Stage home.

Other police reports indicate that the fire is burning trees in the area — creating more hot spots.

Update: 6:08 a.m.

Firefighters have the grassfire that's burned roughly 3,300 acres and evacuated 11,500 homes about 30 percent contained this morning, according to a Boulder County spokeswoman.

About 150 firefighters with multiple agencies are still working the blaze with 20 trucks, and spokeswoman Jodie Carroll said they'll re-evaluate whether displaced residents can return home at 8 a.m.

Some residents are asking firefighters if they can get back into their evacuated homes to retrieve pets, but Carroll said no one will be allowed into the closed area until officials convene to reassess the situation in the daylight.

Despite fears that the blaze would burn power lines over night, Carroll said that hasn't happened.

Xcel Energy officials will be in Boulder at 8 a.m. to assess previously downed power lines and evaluate the status of those that are still in the line of the fire.

Both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley schools are running on schedule this morning. There are no reports, at this time, of changes to bus routes.

At least three houses have been damaged — two are a total loss, Carroll said. Three other outbuildings or barns have burned completely, making for a total of six damaged or destroyed structures.

Carroll said the wind is blowing out of the west this morning at 10 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph.

"The wind is probably not on our side right now," she said.

No major injuries have been reported.

Although the fire's boundary is 3,300 acres, officials are calling it a "mosaic" pattern, meaning some parts of that area haven't been burned.

A press conference is scheduled for this morning at 8:30 a.m.

Update: 2:28 a.m.

A subdivision near Lefthand Canyon Drive is potentially in the path of a grassfire that was still burning early Thursday morning.

The Olde Stage Road Fire, which has scorched approximately 1,800 acres, was slowly moving toward Crestview Estates at about 2 a.m., according to Boulder County officials. The blaze was being pushed by winds that have reportedly shifted direction, forcing the flames to the northwest corner of the fire perimeter. Crews continue to perform backburning in the area to thwart the fire's advance, according to Boulder County.

Officials also said an elderly woman has refused evacuation from the threatened area. Firefighters warned it may not be possible to evacuate her at a later time if conditions deteriorate and fire activity increases.

According to Boulder County, the Olde Stage Road Fire had covered a perimeter of 3,664 acres by early Thursday morning but had only burned half the land in that area because of the fire's "spotty" nature. It had also burned seven buildings, including three houses that were lost.

As of about 2 a.m., the fire was no longer burning east of North Foothills Highway, but officials said firefighters will continue to monitor the area for hot spots.

Meanwhile, across the road, the blaze was still burning and crews were hoping to hold its southern boundary at Lee Hill Road.

A 100-gallon fuel truck carrying diesel also started refueling firetrucks working the fire.

Update: 12:48 a.m.

The Olde Stage Road Fire has scorched its seventh building and is threatening homes along Olde Stage Road.

Firefighters are also evacuating 391 homes to the west of the road including Boulder Heights, Lazy Acres and the north side of Lee Hill Road in the foothills. Authorities are suggesting those evacuees head west on Lee Hill Road to Lefthand Canyon Road, and then east on Lefthand Canyon to U.S. 36, which is open north of the canyon. The lower portion of Lee Hill Road, west of Broadway, will remain closed throughout the night.

The fire jumped its western boundary at Olde Stage Road after 10 p.m. on Wednesday night and damaged at least one house on the west side of the road. The fire has continued to damage more buildings, including a barn that was destroyed along Olde Stage Road.

Authorities also said late Wednesday night that the Dakota Ridge subdivision will remain closed until at least 8 a.m. today, when firefighters will be re-evaluating the situation.

Update: 12:03 a.m.

A grassfire that started Wednesday and then regained momentum late in the night scorched more than 1,000 acres, burned six structures — including four houses — and displaced residents from more than 11,500 homes north of Boulder.

Three minor injuries were reported in the Olde Stage Road Fire, which jumped its western boundary and was still moving closer to Boulder late Wednesday.

Boulder spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said at 11 p.m. that the fire was forcing more evacuations because of resurging winds.

The evacuation orders were likely to stand through at least mid-morning Thursday, officials said.

Forecast winds could continue to cause problems for firefighters again Thursday, and damaged power poles could pose a threat.

Wednesday’s fire was caused by power lines that were downed in high winds, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, and the intense flames weakened some poles that are still standing. More high winds could knock over those damaged poles, said Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Phil West.

“We’re just not sure what is going to happen, so we don’t want to put anybody in harm’s way at this point,” he said.

Six structures burned Wednesday. One residence and a neighboring chicken barn along U.S. 36 were lost, while another residence and its associated barn along Neva Road were also destroyed. Another residence at the top of the ridge above Olde Stage Road was damaged, but it was saved. A house just west of that road caught fire late Wednesday night.

No serious injuries were reported, although two firefighters suffered minor injuries. One hurt his leg jumping from the back of a truck, and another was hurt when debris flew into his eye. A civilian also had minor injuries, according to unconfirmed reports.

Agencies from across Boulder County joined in the effort to fight the fire, and more than 200 firefighters worked to control the blaze. More help has been called in for Thursday, West said, as crews will try to halt the fire that was at zero percent containment Wednesday night.

“Hopefully we’re getting enough firefighters — there’s a lot of open area,” West said. “How rapidly it’s being pushed has surprised people.”

Two fires — which started about an hour apart -- and later converged into one — forced evacuations in neighborhoods in both the city of Boulder and the county. People in the Dakota Ridge Village, Crestview, Autumn Ranch, Lake Valley and North Rim neighborhoods, as well as along Olde Stage Road, were told to leave their homes.

By 8 p.m., neighbors who live well south of Lee Hill Road were starting to worry. Jim Rettew, who lives at 4520 Broadway, said he joined his nearby Dakota Ridge neighbors to watch the blaze in the afternoon. At first, he said, “It was like a fireworks show.”

Then reality set in.

“You realize, this is real life, and this is my house, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “You can’t pick up your house. I’ve never seen a fire move that quick. It looked like an avalanche of fire.”

Frantic horse-owners rattled down dirt roads in their horse trailers through the rural neighborhoods.

Officials said seven horses and one dog are missing, but those animals could have been found by other people and taken to the Boulder County Fairgrounds or humane societies in Longmont and Boulder.

‘I can’t tell you what I’ve lost’

The first fire began about 1 p.m, when wind knocked down an electrical transformer at the Rocky Mountain Llamas ranch on 45th Street, sparking a grass fire that quickly spread to the ranch’s home and destroyed it.

Winds then pushed the fire east toward a field where the ranch’s 100 llamas were kept, and rescuers rushed to pull the animals out of harm’s way. Bobra Goldsmith, who owns the property and the llama business, watched as the fire destroyed her home.

“I can’t tell you what I’ve lost,” Goldsmith said. “It’s burning my bedroom right now.”

A hazardous-materials team responded to McGuckin Hardware’s storage facility on North Foothills Highway, near where the fire was burning Wednesday afternoon. Officials worried some of the flammable materials stored there could explode.

The second fire — which eventually converged with the first — began just after 2 p.m. off of Olde Stage Road, west of the llama ranch fire. The blustering winds quickly pushed the blaze downhill, forcing the first series of evacuations. Deputies stood at the corner of 63rd Street and Niwot Road, turning away people who wanted to go west on Niwot Road toward their homes, which had already been evacuated.

Irene Hesse went out to get groceries a little before 2 p.m. At about 2:45 p.m., she found her way home blocked by deputies and a wall of black smoke.

So Hesse pulled over and sat in her car, hoping the worst wouldn’t happen.

“I’m worried about my dog,” she said, referring to Thatcher, her English spaniel.

Deputies were urging neighbors to go to the shelter they’d set up at Niwot High School, but Hesse wasn’t moving.

“I’m staying right here,” she said. “I want to be the first in the queue to get back in.”

Pleas from some neighbors to be allowed to try to rescue their pets didn’t succeed, although horse trailers were allowed through.

“Everybody has a dog, and no one’s getting through,” yelled one of the deputies as she directed traffic away from the neighborhood.

‘Wait for it to pass’

Wednesday afternoon, Osiris and Andrea Stevens said they decided to evacuate when they saw flames and smoke from the Olde Stage Road Fire rip down toward their home.

“The smoke was getting really bad,” Andrea Stevens said.

The couple said they didn’t spend any time packing up valuables to take with them.

“Just the dogs,” Osiris Stevens said. “We’re insured.”

Firefighters raced to try to contain the blaze as it approached — and then jumped — North Foothills Highway at Nebo Drive. Horse owners scrambled to lead their frantic animals away from a barn as the fire burned yards away in a field just west of the highway.

Richard Pyle emerged from the smoke and dust on Nimbus Road on foot, leading a stranger’s horse.

“I don’t know whose it is,” he shouted over the wind, as the grassfire burned just a few feet off the road’s south shoulder. “We were evacuating horses, and someone threw him at me.”

The horse refused to get into a waiting trailer during the hurried evacuation effort — which meant his only hope was for Pyle to lead him away on foot.

Authorities opened up the Boulder County Fairgrounds to accommodate refugee livestock.

As Pyle spoke, dozens of firefighters battled to save a house about 500 yards to the west.

They didn’t succeed: Within 20 minutes, the flames that had been engulfing the house burned it all the way to the ground.

Olde Stage Road was also the site of a large fire in November 1990. That blaze burned more than 2,200 acres and destroyed 10 homes north of Lee Hill Drive and between Olde Stage Road and the Foothills Highway. Arson was blamed in that fire.