NFL Free Agency opens up on Wednesday, with the legal tampering period beginning on Monday. The top free agents usually all commit to a team during that period, so be ready to rock and roll to start next week.
Denver, CO
10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
Thornton police officers went door-to-door Wednesday afternoon to evacuate residents after a grass fire sparked near a high school, rapidly spreading and injuring five people, according to law enforcement.
The fire burned for more than two hours in Thornton before the city’s fire department announced the flames had been fully contained at 2:07 p.m. Wednesday. At that time, the fire had consumed roughly 10 acres, Thornton Fire Chief Stephen Kelley said in a news conference. Residents were allowed to return home shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thornton Police Department said in an update.
Fire crews from across the Denver area responded to the fire at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Kelley said. By noon, heavy, black smoke blowing from the scene had shut down Interstate 25.
The fire chief estimated that between 100 and 150 firefighters from various agencies responded to the fire.
No homes were destroyed in the fire, which started on a greenbelt between a residential neighborhood and local businesses, Kelley said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Wednesday and damage to the businesses was still being evaluated, he said.
“It is our intent to get ahead of these fires so we don’t have the spread … experienced during the Marshall fire,” Kelley said. “I think we’re very fortunate today that we did not have an outcome similar.”
No fatalities or critical injuries from the fire were reported on Wednesday, Kelley said. Five people, including four firefighters, were injured in the fire but are expected to survive. Additional information on their injuries was not available.
High winds fueled the fire’s “rapid spread” as most of the Front Range and Eastern Plains remained under a red flag warning, Kelley said.
The warning, which will be in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, covers parts of Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Jefferson, Broomfield, Douglas, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Morgan, Elbert, Lincoln, Logan, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties, according to the National Weather Service.
Up to 55 mph wind gusts and humidity values as low as 15% are forecast through Wednesday evening, forecasters said in the warning.
“These are conditions that we continue to face on a daily basis here on the Front Range,” Kelley said.
Interstate 25 was closed in both directions for more than an hour near the fire’s start for low visibility, a closure that steadily grew before it was fully lifted at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. During the closure’s peak, all lanes of I-25 were closed between Colorado 53/58th Avenue in North Washington and 104th Avenue in Thornton, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Cameras along I-25 in the area of the fire showed thick, black smoke drifting across the highway just after noon on Wednesday.
Pinnacle Charter High School and nearby businesses were evacuated and several roads around the fire — which sparked near the high school at West 84th Avenue and Huron Street — were closed, according to the Thornton Police Department.
Continued road closures are expected in the area as fire crews work to extinguish hotspots and ensure the flames don’t rekindle amid high winds, Kelley said. Crews will remain in the area overnight.

The exact evacuation area is unknown, but police said it covered neighborhoods northeast of the fire. Information on the number of people and homes in the evacuation zone was not available.
Police established a formal evacuation shelter at the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd., after residents were initially directed to Water World.
Thousands of Xcel Energy customers remained without power in the area Wednesday afternoon, according to the utility’s outage map.
Outages included more than 3,000 customers in Jefferson County near Arvada and Westminster, 200 customers in Adams County near Sherrelwood and dozens of small outages in between, according to the utility.
Xcel Energy did not proactively de-energize power lines in the area, but utility officials were working with fire crews and were ready to shut down lines if needed, spokesperson Michelle Aguayo said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Denver, CO
Ranking the Broncos free agent needs on offense
I figured now would be a good time to do a little discussion around the Denver Broncos and where we think their top priorities should be on offense when free agency kicks off.
Broncos top FA needs on offense
Tim Lynch: For free agency, I’d say running back and tight end are the highest on my wish list.
I’d say pay big for a top free agent running back and ensure you have a monster two-headed backfield next season. They need a superior run-blocking tight end and, if they move on from Evan Engram, a pass-catcher too.
Christopher Hart: I agree with Tim. Those are the biggest needs for the offense. Getting a top-notch running back and a tight end capable of playing inline to replace Adam Trautman is a must. The two players I advocated a few weeks ago were running back Travis Etienne and tight end Cade Otton. Both would be fantastic additions and help take Denver’s offense to the next level in 2026.
Scotty Payne: Playmaker is the top and biggest need. That includes a RB, TE, and/or WR in that order.
Need to improve the run game regardless, need some sort of production out of the TEs as well as improved blocking, and if they can get a true WR1, that would be great too.
Ross Allen: I think we’re all in agreement.
Getting someone who can be the dominant running back and have RJ Harvey serve that glamorous “joker” role would be huge for this offense. And given that they also don’t have a legitimate playmaker at the receiving position hurts them. A TE or WR can fill that role.
Sadaraine: The #1 need for the Broncos on offense is a top-notch running back. I will be blown away if the Broncos don’t sign a top-tier free agent running back to upgrade the offense (and no, J.K. Dobbins wouldn’t be that guy…not with his injury history).
There’s a significant gap in need after that until we start talking about tight ends and receivers. I think we’re more likely to see more money spent on a tight end than a receiver, but this offense could use both to be sure.
Ian St. Clair: Not to beat a dead horse, but running back is the biggest need and priority for this team when free agency starts. Having a consistent and effective running game will make Nix and the offense exponentially better. It will make the team better. After running back, the Broncos need to figure out their tight end.
Adam Malnati: Give Bo a weapon. I don’t care which position. Yes, RB is a need. Yes, TE is a need (thanks a lot Evan Engram). Still, a weapon would be nice.
Predictably, we’re all heavily keyed in on running back and tight end. That was a big part of our free agent profile coverage too and for good reason. There have been many rumors around Denver looking to target both positions next week and where there is smoke there is usually fire.
The question really becomes: go big or go affordable? With the championship window open, I’m leaning go big on premium play-maker positions this offseason.
Where do you stand on this discussion? Give us your top free agent needs on offense and how you hope the Broncos address them next week.
Denver, CO
Denver area events for March 5
Denver, CO
Report: Broncos expected to ‘make a splash’ at running back
The Denver Broncos are in the market for a running back.
Just two days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver wants to have the running back position addressed before the draft, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Broncos are “poised to make a splash” at running back during NFL free agency.
“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones wrote for CBS Sports.
Jones said the Broncos would be an obvious potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker, and he noted that Travis Etienne could be a cheaper alternative. The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider also reported this week that Denver is expected to “closely examine” the RB market, and he name-dropped Walker, Etienne and Rico Dowdle.
The Broncos also have an in-house free agent at RB in J.K. Dobbins, who has expressed his desire to remain in Denver. The Broncos can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other clubs on March 9, but no deals can become official until the new league year begins on March 11. In-house free agents can be re-signed at any time.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
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