Wildfire damage estimate soars as 3 remain missing

SUPERIOR, Colo. — Nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed, hundreds more were damaged, and three people remain missing after a wildfire scorched communities at the base of the Rocky Mountains northwest of Denver, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said Saturday.

The wind-whipped wildfire that erupted Thursday blackened entire neighborhoods in the suburban area between Denver and Boulder.

Authorities had said earlier no one was missing, but Boulder County spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said the error was because of confusion inherent when agencies are scrambling to manage an emergency.

Pelle said officials were organizing cadaver teams to search for the missing in the Superior area and in unincorporated Boulder County. The task is complicated by debris from destroyed structures, covered by 8 inches of snow dumped by a storm overnight.

At least 991 homes were destroyed, Pelle said: 553 in Louisville, 332 in Superior and 106 in unincorporated parts of the county. The new tally greatly increased Friday’s estimate of 500 homes lost in the blaze.

The cause is still under investigation. Pelle said utility officials found no downed power lines around where the fire broke out. He said authorities were pursuing a number of tips and had executed a search warrant at “one particular location.”

He declined to give details.

The snowfall and frigid temperatures Saturday compounded the misery of hundreds of Colorado residents who started off the year trying to salvage what remains of their homes.

At least 8 inches of snow created an eerie scene amid the still-smoldering remains of homes. Despite the stark change in weather, the smell of smoke still permeated empty streets blocked off by National Guard troops.

For the thousands of residents whose homes survived the conflagration, Red Cross shelter volunteers distributed electric space heaters as utility crews struggled to restore natural gas and electricity.

At least seven people were injured in the wildfire that erupted in and around Louisville and Superior, neighboring towns about 20 miles northwest of Denver with a combined population of 34,000.

Families forced to flee the flames with little warning began returning to their neighborhoods Friday to find a patchwork of devastation.

As the flames swept over drought-stricken neighborhoods with alarming speed, propelled by guests up to 105 mph, tens of thousands were ordered to flee.

President Biden on Friday declared a major disaster in the area, ordering aid be made available to those affected.

David Zalubowski / Associated Press Flames flicker in the remains of a home in Superior, Colo., that was destroyed when a wildfire raced across the region Thursday.