A least two people are missing and presumed dead after a fast-spreading wildfire tore through the suburbs of Boulder County, Colorado. It is destroying at least 1,000 homes and businesses. The fires were fanned by winds that gusted up to 110 miles per hour.
The reasons for spreading fires
The fires began on Thursday morning and spread with astonishing speed across suburban neighborhoods in Boulder County. The authorities said around 6,200 acres were burned. Louisville, Colorado, resident Paul Bassis saw his home nearly destroyed in the blaze. Paul Bassis said,
“Climate change is here now, that this is not some future threat that we have to deal with at some point someday, but this is here and now. … People lost all their belongings, their memories that were in those homes, families that were raised there.”
Two people remain missing after a devastating wildfire hit the central US state of Colorado. One of the missings was a 91-year-old woman whose family had been trapped by the incoming flames, local media say.
State of emergency was declared
The authorities said fires on Thursday burned around 1,000 homes, a shopping complex, and a hotel. No deaths or major injuries had been reported as of Sunday, but Sheriff Pelle said three people had been reported missing. The Boulder area was hit with high winds, then fires, then snow. First came the powerful winds, including gusts of nearly 110 miles per hour, which fanned the wildfires. The winds came two weeks after a powerful storm system generated dust clouds in Colorado and other extreme weather across the Midwest.
What is next?
The authorities have said it will take years to rebuild from the wildfires. Garry Sanfaçon, Boulder County’s disaster recovery manager, said the state was not done rebuilding from a disastrous flood that took place nine years ago.
