Biden surveys wildfire devastation, comforts victims

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Offering hugs and humor, President Biden comforted Coloradans grappling with rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed last week by a rare wind-whipped winter fire that burned through a pair of heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder.

One victim was identified Friday and one person remained unaccounted for out of some 35,000 forced from their homes.

Biden, and his wife, Jill, arrived in the Harper Lake neighborhood of Louisville on Friday afternoon to survey the damage, passing the scorched remnants of homes next to damaged structures still standing. They walked along a street where homes burned to their concrete foundations, meeting residents and local officials who have been overseeing the response and recovery.

Speaking at a recreation center in Louisville, Biden praised the “incredible courage” of the people affected by the fire and pledged the full support of the federal government to help rebuild.

“I intend to do whatever it takes as long as it takes to support you,” Biden said.

The fire broke out unusually late in December following months of drought with a dry fall and a winter with hardly any snow. Nearly 1,100 buildings, most of them homes, were destroyed, causing an estimated $513 million in damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Investigators have narrowed their search for the cause to an area near Boulder where a passerby captured video of a burning shed on Dec. 30, when the fire began.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to be here in this neighborhood and see winds whipping up to 100 miles an hour and see flames approaching,” Biden said.

On Friday, authorities identified a person whose remains were found near the origin of the fire earlier this week as Robert Sharpe, 69, of Boulder. In a statement, his family said Sharpe was a longtime resident who worked in the construction industry for many years.

“The total devastation of this event has shocked and impacted so many in the community,” the family said in a statement thanking authorities for the intensive search for Sharpe. “Our hearts go out to the many others who have suffered losses.”