Morning Sun

Wildfires burn hundreds of homes, thousands flee

- By Brittany Peterson, Patty Nieberg and Colleen Slevin

SUPERIOR, COLO. » Tens of thousands of Coloradans driven from their neighborho­ods by wind-whipped wildfires anxiously waited to learn what was left standing of their lives Friday after the flames burned an estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center.

At least one first responder and six other people were injured in the blazes that erupted outside Denver on Thursday morning, unusually late in the year, following an extremely dry fall and amid a winter nearly devoid of snow so far.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, who gave the early damage estimate, said there could be more injuries — and also deaths — because of the ferocity of the fire, propelled by winds that gusted up to 105 mph (169 kph).

“This is the kind of fire we can’t fight head-on,” Pelle said. “We actually had deputy sheriffs and firefighte­rs in areas that had to pull out because they just got overrun.”

Mike Guanella and his family were relaxing at their home in the town of Superior and looking forward to celebratin­g a belated Christmas later in when reports of a nearby grass fire quickly gave way to an order to leave immediatel­y.

Instead of opening presents, Guanella and his wife, their three children and three dogs were staying a friend’s house in Denver, hoping their house was still standing.

“Those presents are still under the tree right now — we hope,” he said.

By first light Friday, the towering flames that had lit up the night sky were gone, leaving smoldering homes and charred trees and fields. The winds had died down, and light snow soon began falling, raising hopes it could snuff out hot spots.

Sophia Verucchi and her partner, Tony Victor, returned to their apartment in Broomfield, on the edge of Superior, to find that it was spared any serious damage. They had fled the previous afternoon with just Victor’s guitar, bedding and their cat, Senor Gato Blanco.

“We left thinking it was a joke. We just felt like we were going to come back. At 5 o’clock, we thought, maybe we’re not coming back,” Verucchi said. But they got an email in the morning saying it was OK to return.

“Seeing the news and seeing all the houses burnt, we just feel very lucky,” Verucchi said.

The neighborin­g towns of Louisville and Superior, situated about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Denver and home to a combined 34,000 people, were ordered evacuated ahead of the fires, which cast a smoky, orange haze over the landscape.

The two towns are filled with middle- and upper-middle-class subdivisio­ns with shopping centers, parks and schools. The area is between Denver and Boulder, home to the University of Colorado.

Residents evacuated fairly calmly and in orderly fashion, but the winding streets quickly became clogged. It sometimes took cars as long as 45 minutes to advance a half-mile.

Small fires cropped up here and there in surprising places — on the grass in a median or in a dumpster in the middle of a parking lot — as gusts caused the flames to jump. Shifting winds caused the skies to turn from clear to smoky and then back again as sirens wailed.

Leah Angstman and her husband were returning to their Louisville home from Denver Internatio­nal Airport after being away for the holidays. They recounted leaving clear blue skies and instantly entering clouds of brown and yellow smoke.

“The wind rocked the bus so hard that I thought the bus would tip,” she said.

The visibility was so poor the bus had to pull over. They waited a half-hour until a transit authority van escorted the bus to a turnaround on the highway.

“The sky was dark, dark brown, and the dirt was blowing in swirls across the sidewalk like snakes,” she said.

 ?? DAVID ZALUBOWSKI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a developmen­t near Rock Creek Village, Thursday, near Broomfield, Colo. An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fueled wildfires outside Denver, officials said Thursday evening.
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a developmen­t near Rock Creek Village, Thursday, near Broomfield, Colo. An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fueled wildfires outside Denver, officials said Thursday evening.

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