The fires destroyed nearly a thousand homes Thursday in the US state of Colorado. Heavy snowfall complicates the search.
“We are very fortunate not to have a list of 100 missing. But unfortunately we have three people whose disappearance is confirmedBoulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a press conference. At least 991 homes were destroyed by the blazes that ravaged entire neighborhoods of Superior and Louisville, two towns bordering Denver, the state’s largest city, on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee in an emergency.
Read alsoHundreds of homes destroyed by fires in Colorado
Snowfall halted the spread of the fire on Friday, but also complicated the search for missing people. “The buildings where these people could be have been completely destroyed and are now covered with about eight inches of snow.», Explained Sheriff Pelle. The snow helped put out the fires, but it’s “difficult for surveys, rescue and damage assessment“, he added.
The damage is startling: in aerial images, entire streets are little more than piles of smoking ash. The fire, unlike previous fires, affected suburbs and not just rural areas.
A few minutes to leave
Unlike a previously mentioned lead, investigators found no credible clue to support the hypothesis that the fires, unusual for the season, were caused by falling power lines. According to Sheriff Pelle, witnesses could have confused power lines and telephone lines.
The flames, fanned by strong winds, destroyed entire neighborhoods “in the blink of an eyeAccording to Colorado Governor Jared Polis. “Families had only a few minutes to put everything they could – their animals, their children – in the car and leave», He had explained. Some 33,000 residents of Superior and Louisville were ordered to evacuate their homes Thursday, most with only the clothes they had on their backs.