For the second day in a row, a fast-moving grass fire whipped by winds triggered evacuations in metro Denver — but no homes suffered damage, largely due to the quick response by firefighters with significant resources.

A fire in Thornton threw a thick plume of dark smoke over the north metro Denver area that closed Interstate 25 in both directions before it was contained Wednesday. The interstate reopened just before 2 p.m.

The 10-acre fire, which officials first responded to around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, burned in a grassy area directly east of Pinnacle High School, Thornton Fire Department Chief Steve Kelley said in a Wednesday afternoon press briefing.

Crews had mostly contained the fire around 2:30 p.m. after much of the surrounding area had been evacuated, Kelley said. Four responders and one citizen were injured in the incident, though none are considered critical.

RESIDENCES SPARED BUT BUSINESSES NOT

Kelley and other officials with the city of Thornton could not provide many details on what started the fire, but said that the blaze near 84th Avenue and Huron Street did not damage any residences in the area.

But at least one business, Rol Race Motorsports, was not as lucky. The BMW restoration shop, operated by Jason Rol on the rear of the building, had over 100 vehicles in its back lot that were consumed by the fire.

“The fire started near the high school and spread across the field in less than a minute,” Rol said. “Pretty much everything in the lot is destroyed; it’s hard to say for sure.”

The lot held a mix of Rol’s own cars as well as other people’s he was working on, he said. He did not know yet how insurance could factor into the loss, and said he’ll learn more as he’s more able to comb through the damage.

“I’m at a loss for emotional words,” Rol said.

Kelley also noted that some surrounding businesses and cars had been burned in the blaze, despite the residences not being affected.

A FAST-MOVING VEGETATION FIRE

Part of why the vegetation fire spread so quickly, Kelley said, was due to the high winds and dry conditions in the area.

More than 100 firefighters from several surrounding departments, including Thornton, Westminster, Adams County, North Metro Fire, Federal Heights and South Adams Fire responded to the scene.

“This was a dynamic, rapidly spreading event that challenged many of the departments in the area,” Kelley said. “I appreciate the support we got from our neighboring agencies and the metro area as well.”

Before the fire was contained, Thornton Police Department officers evacuated area businesses and went door-to-door to evacuate residences to the northeast of the fire, Kelley said. The school was also evacuated and an emergency alert was issued for the area.

Pinnacle High School is expected to be back in session as normal on Thursday, Kelley added.

Those who live in the area and could not go home were asked to go to Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center at 11151 Colorado Blvd. as a gathering location, police said. Police originally directed evacuees to Water World and will remain at that location to help direct community members.

The recreation center had resources and additional assistance to evacuees, police said, adding that anyone who did not feel safe should evacuate.

About 3,000 Xcel Energy customers in the area reported having no power as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to Xcel’s Outage Map. It is unclear whether the outage is connected to the fire.

Based on photos and videos posted on the Denver subreddit, the smoke is appearing to emanate from a grassy area east of the school, north of 84th Avenue and south of a residential area. A Google Maps street view photo of the area shows a park with a paved path curving through it.

Because of the lack of visibility from the smoke, officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation closed Interstate 25 in both directions between Thornton Parkway and 84th Avenue, they confirmed Wednesday. The roadway was reopened around 1:45 p.m.

As of about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, smoke was no longer visible on the scene, but officials said the fire was still burning and they were still working to contain it.

On Tuesday, firefighters scrambled to a wildfire near Franktown with trucks, a plane and a helicopter. No residents were burned, though occupants were evacuated, and the fire was contained to 1,000 acres and extinguished by Tuesday evening.

Denver Gazette photographer Stephen Swofford contributed to this report.