Colorado wildfire guts suburbs; 1,000 buildings destroyed, 3 missing
A Colorado official says nearly 1,000 homes and other structures were destroyed, hundreds more were damaged after a wildfire charred numerous neighbourhoods in a suburban area at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
At least 991 homes and other buildings were destroyed, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said: 553 in Louisville, 332 in Superior and 106 in unincorporated parts of the county. Pelle cautioned that the tally was not final.
At least seven people were injured in the wildfire that erupted in and around Louisville and
Superior, neighboring towns about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Denver with a combined population of 34,000. It burned at least 9.4 square miles (24 square kilometers).
The snow and temperatures in the single digits cast an eerie scene amid still-smoldering remains of homes. Despite the shocking change in weather, the smell of smoke still permeated empty streets blocked off by National Guard troops in Humvees. The conditions compounded the misery of residents who started off the new year trying to salvage what remained of their homes.
The wildfire broke out unusually late in the year, following an extremely dry fall and amid a winter nearly devoid of snow until the overnight snowfall. High winds pushed flames that fed on bone-dry grasses and vegetation on farmland and open spaces interspersed with suburban subdivisions. Scientists say climate change is making weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Ninety percent of Boulder County is in severe or extreme drought, and it hadn’t seen substantial rainfall since mid-summer.
Officials probe cause of massive Colorado fire
Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked a massive fire in a suburban area near Denver that burned neighborhoods to the ground and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and other buildings. Three people are missing following the inferno that broke out Thursday. Authorities had executed a search warrant at “one particular location.”