Colorado fire: Up to 1,000 homes burned to ground as inferno declared most destructive ever
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Your support makes all the difference.Up to 1,000 homes have been burned in what is being called the most destructive blaze in Colorado’s history.
Horrifying aerial footage shows the devastating impact of the fast-moving wildfire fanned by powerful winds that ripped through towns near Boulder,Colorado, on Thursday, prompting the evacuation of about 30,000 residents.
As the fires raged, startling video, filmed from a plane flying above the state, shows the towns of Superior and Louisville engulfed in flames at multiple locations.
Officials have declared the fire the most devastating ever to impact the state.
Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency, allowing the state to deploy emergency funds and resources including Colorado National Guard.
The wind gusts of 110 miles per hour had pushed fire at an astonishing speed, burning across 6,000 acres and destroying more than 500 homes — possibly as many as 1,000. Some owners watched on door-cams as fire approached their homes.
“This fire is, frankly, a force of nature,” said Mr Polis. “For those who have lost everything that they’ve had, know that we will be there for you to help rebuild your lives.”
The grass fire is believed to have been ignited by sparks from power lines and transformers toppled by high winds of Colorado’s drought-parched Front Range, according to Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management has urged residents not to return to their homes.
Inside a devastated neighbourhood
Fox 31 reporter Jim Hooley has posted footage of the ruins of a Louisville neighbourhood devastated by the Marshall fire.
‘You couldn’t see. You couldn’t breathe'
The Colorado Sun spoke with Christina Eisert, a mother of two, who like many had a harrowing experience fleeing her home.
She quickly drove back home and lured her two shepherd-husky mixes out of the house “in the absolute nick of time,” Eisert told The Colorado Sun on Thursday night while choking up. “You couldn’t see. You couldn’t breathe.”
She heard a high-pitched squealing sound coming from her front windows, likely moments before they shattered from the heat. Eisert ran to the car without any belongings.
Hundreds of cars blocked the roads outside her home as a nearby Costco was being evacuated and neighbors fled the flames, she said.
“I felt like the fire was bearing down on us so I pulled the car off the road into the park,” Eisert said. The smoke became so thick she couldn’t see, so with her hand on the horn, she drove through the park to evade the stalled cars, she said.
“It was like fight or flight,” Eisert said. “I just felt every molecule in my body wanting to get my children out of this fire.”
Fire declared most destructive in history
Sheila Flynn reports for The Independent from Colorado.
Aerial videos show Colorado damage as fire declared most destructive in state history
Historic fires burned thousands of acres, destroying hundreds of homes in Colorado after drought and high winds
Shocking images from early Friday morning of devastation at Louisville
Boulder OEM briefing underway
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management briefing is underway reviewing the devastation of Thursday’s fire.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle says he is expecting 3-6 inches of snow in fire area.
Describing the damage he says: “We won’t have final numbers until late tonight or tomorrow. Expecting this to be more than 500 homes.”
There are 2,000 homes in the burnt area but 2,000 have not been lost, the sheriff stresses. Residents are asked not to return yet.
Governor Polis
Governor Polis flew over the area earlier today before snow began to fall to survey the damage: “The last 24 hours have been devastating.”
He said he spoke to President Biden shortly before the press briefing and the president approved expedited disaster declaration.
Polis notes that there were still active flames when he flew over.
The fire burnt in a mosaic pattern so it would burn entire neighborhoods but leave others untouched.
“This was a disaster in fast motion,” the governor said, with families having minutes to leave their homes.
“Each house is not just a house but a home. A sanctuary of comfort… a reservoir of memories.”
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