DENVER (KDVR) — Crews are responding to a wildland fire in the open space near the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.

No evacuation or pre-evacuation notices have been issued for the fire. However, the Boulder Office of Disaster Management issued an advisory for the areas around NCAR due to the wildfire.

The agency encouraged residents who require extra time or have to transport medical equipment to begin making preparation plans now, and for others to have go-bags ready in case the fire moves toward residences.

Dinosaur Fire location

As of 12:36 p.m., the Boulder County Officer of Disaster Management reported the fire was named the “Dinosaur Fire” and said it was near the Mallory Cave Trail, located west of NCAR at the second switchback. It started at about 11:22 a.m., according to officials.

Mountain View Fire Rescue shared this map showing where the general area of the fire is located.

As of 1:15 p.m., the Boulder agency was reporting the fire had spread over 3 acres with slow spread.

Officials said during a press conference at about 1:30 p.m. that there are homes downhill from the fire, and don’t anticipate needing any evacuations.

The NSF NCAR Mesa Lab, which is about a quarter mile east of the fire, evacuated its campus due to the wildfire. The University of Colorado Boulder said there is no immediate threat to its campus.

All trails in the area were closed. Crews reported in the afternoon press conference that the fire may have started on a trail, and noted that several Xcel crews were in the area.

Emergency response

A call center has been activated for the Dinosaur Fire and can be reached at 303-413-7730. Officials warn that residents should not call 911 unless they are having an emergency.

To receive text alerts on the Dinosaur Fire, residents can text BOCOinfo to 888777. The request only needs to be made once and the service is free, except for potential data usage charges.

As of 11:42 a.m., the fire rescue was reporting that no structures were threatened but was asking the public to avoid the area while firefighters were working in the area.

As of 12:40 p.m., the Boulder Police Department was reporting no injuries and said the Dinosaur Fire is not behaving in a way that is a cause for evacuation concerns currently.

The Boulder Police Department also reported that officers were on scene, and asked that the public not call dispatch to report the smoke from the fire.

Three air assets have been deployed to the scene.

Due to the extreme heat, fire crews were switching in and out to ensure no firefighters got heat stroke.

On July 1, the Boulder County Sheriff announced Stage 1 Fire Restrictions for the unincorporated areas of western Boulder County.

This is a developing story, check back for more details.