DENVER, December 31 (Reuters) – A fire destroyed hundreds of homes, injured dozens and forced tens of thousands to evacuate two towns east of the Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado , the authorities announced Thursday.
The blaze, spread through prairies parched by high winds, devastated nearly 647.5 hectares and destroyed more than 500 homes, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.
Evacuations have been ordered in the towns of Superior and Louisville, which have approximately 13,000 and 18,000 residents, respectively.
The sheriff explained that the high winds were not sufficient to slow the progress of the fire, and added that the firefighters and emergency services could only “try to get ahead of the fire and make sure that people evacuate. . This is all that it is possible to do “.
Joe Pelle clarified that no death or disappearance had been reported.
Authorities said weather forecasts called for winds to ease late Thursday night or early Friday, allowing firefighters to come close to the flames and helicopters and water bomber planes to take off to fight the blaze. ‘fire. (Reporting Keith Coffman Denver, with Steve Gorman Los Angeles and Liz Hampton Denver; French version Camille Raynaud)