Gov. Jared Police have declared a state of emergency as the National Weather Service warns of ‘life-threatening conditions’ in affected areas of the United States.
In Colorado, USA, hundreds of homes were destroyed and tens of thousands evacuated by wildfires caused by strong winds in two cities near the state capital, Denver.
At least one first responder and six people were injured Thursday, although Boulder County Sheriff Joe Belle acknowledged that the death toll could rise due to the intensity of the blaze, which quickly spread across the area, with winds of up to 169 kilometers per hour. Hours)
Authorities ordered the evacuation of Louisville, a city of about 21,000 residents and a suburb of Superior and Boulder, home to 13,000 residents.
Neighboring cities are about 32 km (20 miles) northwest of Denver, home to more than 715,000 people.
A wildfire in Denver has caused a large haze of smoke. Many buildings in Superior were on fire.
Residents evacuated very quietly and orderly, but the winding streets in the suburban suburbs quickly closed as people tried to evacuate. Sometimes cars take up to 45 minutes to advance a few hundred meters.
The first fire broke out just before 10:30 a.m. and was “most quickly struck and laid out later in the day and is currently being monitored,” Belle said.
A second wildfire after 11 a.m., “balloons and rapidly spreading eastward,” Belle added. The fire spread over an area of 6.5 square kilometers (2.5 square miles) and smoke and orange skies surrounded parts of the area and drove residents to safety.
The activity of an unusually burning fire in late winter depends on how the wind is operating overnight and the team can go inside and assess the damage and search for victims.
“We can’t fight a fire like this face to face,” Belle said. “Because we really had deputy sheriffs and firefighters, they were in areas where they had to leave,” he added.
At least 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center were reportedly burned. According to the Denver Post, the fire was the most devastating in the history of Colorado in terms of the number of homes destroyed.
Governor Jared declared police a state of emergency, allowing disaster funding to support emergency response efforts and mobilizing the Colorado National Guard and other state resources as needed.
The area near the U.S. Highway is also said to have been closed due to the fire.
Very strong air becomes fuel # Marshall fire. There is no good sign when the radar shows strong smoke of this magnitude.
Consider all emissions associated with this fire. Follow OuldBoulderOEM For the latest emissions and official fire reports. #Coves pic.twitter.com/EzYy80xOBd
– NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 30, 2021
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported minor fires in at least two areas on a social media post.
The meteorological agency warned that the fast-moving fire could create “life-threatening conditions” in some areas.
Police say forced evacuation has been ordered in all parts of Louisville except two counties.
The extent of the property damage was not immediately known, but a news station aired footage of houses on fire near Louisville.
The fire, which broke out on the outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area, dried up the bone in a severe drought in eastern Colorado, following several days of heavy snowfall in the western Rocky Mountains.
A house burned down Thursday night by wildfires caused by winds blowing from Boulder’s Superior suburb. [Eric English/Reuters]
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