Wildfire contained near Broomfield-Boulder county line in northwestern part of Denver metro area

An evacuation order has been lifted near the Broomfield-Boulder county line after a wildfire there burned 35 acres and sent up smoke plumes that were blown by strong winds. The fire started around 3 p.m. near 104th and Dillon Road in the northwestern part of the Denver metro area. It was contained a little over an hour later and, according to a Boulder County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, it was "knocked down significantly" by that time.

County emergency officials said some haystacks are still smoldering and will be putting up some smoke into the evening.

The evacuation was lifted at about 4:30 p.m. It was for a large area that included open space but it also affected homes in a Lafayette neighborhood located north of Dillon Road, just to the west of Highway 287 and south of Highway 42.

Highway 287 was also closed for more than an hour in the area. There were no reports of any injuries.

Investigators believe the fire started when a combine harvester in an agricultural field sent up some sort of sparks and ignited hay bales.

Winds from the west were gusting at about 35 mph at 3:15 p.m. in eastern Boulder County, according to First Alert Chief Meteorologist Dave Aguilera.

"Certainly the dryness is what's of greatest concern. We had wind speeds today -- nothing like the wind speeds during the Marshall Fire -- but the winds and dry weather and unusual December has spilled into January," said Louisville Fire Protection District Chief Kevin Milan.

Around same time as this fire, Boulder Fire officials say there was a small wildfire at 63rd Street and Plateau Road in Boulder County. That was about 5 feet by 5 feet and firefighters put it out quickly.