United States: in Colorado, fires declared “in the blink of an eye” then suffocated by snow – South West

The fires that destroyed “in the blink of an eye” entire neighborhoods in the US state of Colorado were mostly extinct during the night from Friday to Saturday, heavy snowfall having smothered the last embers. At least 500 houses went up in smoke and tens of thousands had to flee, but no deaths have yet been reported, “a miracle” according to Governor Jared Polis.

The damage is no less striking: 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. “Families only had a few minutes to put everything they could – their animals, their children – in the car and go,” said Jared Polis. It happened “in the blink of an eye,” he said.

No death, it’s “incredible”

Impressive flames tore the sky, fanned by strong winds, which blew up to 160 km / h Thursday. The fire was reportedly caused by power lines falling on arid soil. The final number of houses destroyed is not yet known. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle estimated it to be over 500 on Friday, saying he would “not be surprised if it was over 1,000.” The fire was consumed “in mosaic”, sparing certain districts to devastate the neighboring houses, he explained.

“When you see the devastation, it’s amazing that you don’t have a list of 100 missing people, but you don’t have it,” said the sheriff. President Joe Biden promised that “everything would be done to provide immediate assistance to the people and populations affected,” according to the White House. He ordered the payment of federal aid to Colorado. On Friday, a layer of snow settled on the ashes of these devastating fires, in stark contrast to the furnace of the day before.

The snow will “help”

The US Weather Service (NWS) has placed part of this mountainous western state on winter storm alert, forecasting heavy rainfall in the coming days. This snow will “really help us,” said Joe Pelle, saying he no longer expected the fire to develop. Part of the evacuation orders were lifted overnight by local authorities. But places like Superior, with 13,000 inhabitants, are still off-limits.

Patrick Kilbride, 72, a town resident, was at work when he was ordered to evacuate, but was only able to save his car and clothes. “Only ashes remain,” of the house in which he lived for three decades, he told The Denver Post. People living in Superior, along with the nearly 20,000 residents of Louisville, have been ordered to boil tap water or use bottles, with towns using untreated water to fight fires. .