A foothills wildfire, which turned life in laid-back Boulder upside down for two days, slowly fizzled out Thursday as hundreds of evacuees returned home and firefighters tamped down flare-ups amid dwindling winds.

At 6:30 p.m. the blaze was considered 100 percent contained, and the emergency operations center was closed. The evacuation orders were lifted at that time, and residents were allowed to go back into their neighborhoods.

Twenty-five firefighters and eight engines were assigned to keep watch over the burn area late Thursday.

The fire burned two homes and three barns, but its flames along the hills just north of Boulder made it the talk of the town, with camera-packing gawkers rushing to behold the strange orange glow that briefly appeared to threaten more of the community.

Dubbed the Olde Stage Fire, it didn't do as much damage as some other Boulder-area blazes, including the Black Tiger Fire of 1989, which destroyed 44 structures, and the identically named Olde Stage Fire of 1990, which destroyed at least 10 homes.

But for a few hours, this blaze lit up the sky - a force of nature fueled by 80 mph chinook winds that shoved flames across grasslands, frightened residents and triggered evacuation orders for more than 11,500 homes.

"Firefighters made a heroic effort," said Boulder County sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West. He credited the dozens who worked through Wednesday night conducting back burns. By Thursday morning, the tide was turning in favor of 150 firefighters whose efforts were helped by far lighter winds. In all, about 1,400 acres burned.

"The fact that no one was killed or seriously injured and the fact that we lost (only) two homes in a wind-driven event like this is miraculous," said Sheriff Joe Pelle.

Garry Briese, the Denver-based regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, credited years of work to protect neighborhoods by outlawing wood shingles and encouraging homeowners to keep flammable landscaping away from their homes.

"It was an overnight miracle that was 15 years in the making," said Briese, a former president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Authorities allowed people back into their homes, and firefighters expected all areas to be reopened by nightfall Thursday.

Despite widespread evacuation orders, it appeared many people never heeded the call, with only 1,300 to 1,400 leaving their homes.

"I'm shaking and I'm so grateful we have our homes and our pets," said Darlene Steiner, a resident of Lake Valley Estates neighborhood north of Boulder as she inspected her home.

Cause still undetermined

The outbreak began as two distinct fires Wednesday. The fire near Neva Road and 45th Street likely was caused by downed power lines, West said, but the cause of the Olde Stage Fire still was not clear late Thursday afternoon. West said he couldn't rule out the possibility that a person might have caused the blaze.

Although a freak curiosity for many, the fire meant tragedy for some. Bobra Goldsmith had nothing but three large smokestacks rising from a stone fireplace remaining of her once-beautiful Neva Road home.

Goldsmith, a 78-year-old llama rancher whose animals escaped harm, had seen a futile effort Wednesday to stop gust-driven flames from consuming her home. She said nearly 80 years of memories were lost.

"My mother was an artist," she said. "The house was filled with her work."

One retired couple spent the night watching their home from a distance, through binoculars, eyeing its fate as they tried - and failed - to sleep in their car.

"It would be really nice if we could go home," Candace Anders said at midday Thursday before they were allowed back.

Among those routed from their homes was Michael Brown, former director of FEMA and a Boulder County resident. Brown, now a consultant, knew what to do when told to evacuate.

"To me it was all automatic," Brown said. "They said it was mandatory . . . I just grabbed my dogs and said, "Let's go.' "

Chaotic scene now calm

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

About 8:30 a.m., several families - who were fed eggs, bacon, muffins and cereal - celebrated news that they could return to undamaged homes.

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

The fire scene that included a chaotic mix of firefighters, evacuees and bright-orange hillsides had calmed considerably by Thursday evening. Nelson Renouf sat on the water tender, dangling his legs and taking a break from sawing lumber on the blackened hillside.

His Big Elk Fire Department crew of seven had been on the hillside for about an hour, chopping debris and trees, trying to make sure the fire that swept through 1,500 acres of brush and pine didn't explode again.

But with temperatures dropping and the wind barely a whisper of what it was Wednesday night, Renouf didn't seem worried.

"It's starting to drag," he said, a smile forming from behind a bushy mustache.

Thursday's night low was expected to drop to 45 degrees, with 35 percent humidity.

Winds were blowing north and northwest, at 10-20 mph.

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