Dozens of emergent departments from across the state responded to the NCAR Fire. Wednesday morning, the City of Boulder published the below graphic listing the various agencies, thanking them for their efforts.

"Fighting a fire like the NCAR fire required all of us working together and our success is shared by everyone," city officials said in a statement.

The NCAR Fire started about three months after the Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County beginning Dec. 30, 2021. The evacuation area for the NCAR Fire includes the area where the Marshall Fire started.

Since the Marshall Fire, Boulder County has had its wettest start to a year in terms of snowfall (about 75 inches), according to BoulderCAST Weather.

Around 4 p.m. Saturday, BoulderCAST Weather meteorologists recorded wind gusts of up to 30 mph near the scene of the NCAR Fire. Wind gusts during the Marshall Fire, for comparison, reached 100 mph.

The winds started to die down around 5 p.m. Saturday, making the firefighter effort less of a challenge. Firefighting aircraft responded to the NCAR Fire and dropped retardant on the flames and the fire's perimeter. Those planes were not an option during the Marshall Fire because of the strong winds.

“We are thankful for the swift action and response to this wildfire by our firefighters and first responders," Governor Jared Polis said in a statement. "State officials have spoken with Sheriff [Joe] Pelle this afternoon and the state has deployed two firefighting aircraft, including a single-engineer tanker and type 2 helicopter, and stands ready to assist with the response. We will continue to monitor this evolving situation.” 

Incident commander Mike Smith, who also served as IC for the Marshall Fire, said the conditions are favorable to get the NCAR Fire under control, but added that forecasters are concerned about the future.

"We're nervous about the season coming up," Smith said. "When you look at the long-term forecasts for the upcoming season, you know, I think this is just a sign of the ways things are going to go."

Oliver, during a Monday press conference, said that "fire season" is a misnomer in Colorado; wildfires are now a year-round occurrence.

"The concern is that any time there's not snow, it's fire," Oliver said.

[Related: Climate change and population growth creating conditions for more fires like the Marshall Fire]

The billowing smoke of the NCAR Fire could be seen from the ruins left behind in the Marshall Fire.

Kyle Cooke is the digital media manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.