Tens of thousands of Colorados were forced to flee their homes on Thursday as two fast-moving wildfires, fueled by wind gusts of up to 110 mph, raged through communities outwith Denver, engulfing whole counties and destroying hundreds of buildings.
The fires, including that near the Marshall Fire, destroyed 553 homes in Louisville, 332 residential homes in Superior and 106 homes in isolated areas, including Eldorado Canyon.
The recovery is likely to take years.
One of the destroyed buildings belonged to Bill Stephens, the pastor of Ascent Community Church in Louisville, who said Thursday that at least 17 community members lost their homes in the fire as well.
Severe gusts are not uncommon in Colorado, particularly in the boulder region, but if there were no snow and rain to dampen the risks the disaster could strike.
Federal and state investigators are focusing on an area near Boulder, where a passerby took video of a burning shed on the day the blaze broke out.
Stephens was at a disaster relief center when she received a check for $500 from the Red Cross to help purchase food.
Investigators are also trying to understand what caused the power-whipped wildfire, which charred entire neighborhoods and forced thousands to escape.
Wildfire. In December. The worst in Colorado history. None of this is normal. We are not ok. pic.twitter.com/2PuUgs63Ue
— Leslie Herod (@leslieherod) December 31, 2021
Superior, Colorado tonight. An out-of-control firestorm with 100mph winds at the end of December.
We are in a climate emergency. https://t.co/LkCxhNPX0d
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) December 31, 2021
Tens of thousands of Coloradans evacuated their homes as fires blazed across suburban neighborhoods. People are losing their homes and running for their lives from a fire that started December fucking 30th, fueled by the climate crisis hottest and driest fall/winter in CO history https://t.co/QVcc3AlRaU
— Sunrise Colorado 🌅 (@SunriseMvmtCO) December 31, 2021
The pictures from Colorado tonight are like when the comet hits in #DontLookUp
So look. Long and hard.
And then get to work breaking the power of the fossil fuel industry https://t.co/XVc43EiTzM— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) December 31, 2021
It’s not just the weather happening today. The ingredients for a devastating wildfire have been coming together since last spring. A very wet spring 2021 helped grow the grasses. A very dry summer and fall dried the grasses out and prepared the kindling. pic.twitter.com/tslauPH1Wx
— Becky Bolinger (@ClimateBecky) December 30, 2021
During the last 30 years Boulder, CO has had a mean of 12.33 inches of snow in the month of December, according to NOAA. And a total mean of 19.28" in the months of Oct. & Dec.#MarshallFire #Droughthttps://t.co/NqrlI9IQKY pic.twitter.com/qpSnq5PB0L
— Wildfire Today 🔥 (@wildfiretoday) December 31, 2021
All 20 of #Colorado's biggest wildfires have occurred in the last 20 years. That's not a coincidence.
Boulder has seen 0.4 inches of rain since October. That's natural variability. But in warmer world, it's easy to evaporate more of what little water falls. @MyRadar pic.twitter.com/WtQQtJFzYe
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) December 30, 2021
UPDATE – This location just reported a gust to 110 mph. https://t.co/Qp7FkwkMmR
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 30, 2021
If you are in Louisville, this is a life threatening situation. LEAVE NOW! #MarshallFire https://t.co/O1HtmqWvOK
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 30, 2021
Radar showing the huge plume of smoke and ash being released from the #marshallfire burning in Louisville & Superior. Also, another smaller fire reported south of Johnstown and Milliken areas. #COwx pic.twitter.com/WCi7NvhPZU
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 30, 2021
