In the US state of Colorado, a violent wind-blown forest fire destroyed hundreds of homes, injured at least half a dozen people and forced thousands to flee. The rapidly spreading fire is said to have been ignited by power lines overturned by squalls. Evacuation orders were issued for the city of Superior, with approximately 13,000 residents, and for the adjoining borough of Louisville, with 18,000 residents.
In a matter of hours, the fire had spread through the bone-dry Boulder County’s landscape, covering an estimated 647.5 acres and destroying more than 500 homes, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said, according to Reuters. He said an entire settlement of 370 houses west of Superior had gone up in flames and 210 apartments were lost in Superior Old Town along with other apartments in the area. The property damage also included a mall and a hotel in Superior, officials said.
The sheriff said stormy winds made it impossible to stop the rapid advance of the fire, adding that fire and rescue workers “were essentially running in front of the fires just to get people out of the way. That’s all that.” they can do. ” Governor Jared Polis spoke of a “force of nature” and declared a state of emergency.
There have been no reports of deaths so far. Six people were treated at the hospital in the neighboring town of Broomfield for injuries from the forest fires, said spokeswoman Kelli Christensen.
The extent of the property damage was not immediately known, but KMGH-TV, the local ABC News subsidiary, broadcast footage of several houses on fire. In Denver, about 20 miles south, a towering cloud of wildfire smoke could be seen.
Wind gusts of up to 177 km per hour were reported in Boulder. According to the weather forecast, the strong winds should subside on Friday.