Colorado fire live – Boulder blaze destroys 1,000 homes and leaves 3 feared dead as wildfire map shows devastation

No fatalities is a ‘miracle,’ says governor

In a press conference on Friday Colorado governor Jared Polis said it was a miracle that there have been no deaths after a fire ripped through Boulder County on Thursday.

“We might have our very own New Year’s miracle on our hands, if it holds up that there was no loss of life,” said governor Polis.

“It’s unbelievable, when you look at the devastation, that we don’t have a list of a hundred missing persons,” added Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle.

“I’m hoping that’s a miracle.”

Residents describe nightmare scene

Leah Angstman told the Associated Press that the sky was dark brown and dirt was blowing around in swirls like snakes.

Hospitals in the southeast of Boulder County were evacuated, including patients in intensive care.

Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette was evacuating its most critical patients as the fire raged into the night, CBS Denver reported.

And inmates at a detention center in Broomfield were also relocated.

Shocking damage

Theb image below shows a man looking through the snow-covered remains of his brother’s burned homes after the Marshall Wildfire in Louisville, Colorado.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed as the wildfire spread through suburbs outside of Denver on Thursday.

‘Absolutely devastating’

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said a fire this large near a population center was “absolutely devastating.”

Ninety percent of Boulder County is in severe or extreme drought and hasn’t seen substantial rainfall since mid-summer.

Snow hydrologist Keith Musselman said: “With any snow on the ground, this absolutely would not have happened in the way that it did.”

Before and after

A Twitter user shared images of the before and after of Boulder county in Colorado after fires ripped through the area on Thursday.

“I was born in Boulder and I grew up in Louisville and Broomfield. I currently work in Louisville,” they said.

“This isn’t just another Colorado wild fire. This is my home. Words continue to fail me after all the shit Colorado has gone through the last week.”

‘Most destructive fires in Colorado’s history’

The wildfire in Boulder County is thought to be the most destructive in Colorado’s history as hundreds of homes were devastated and thousands fled in fear.

At least 1000 homes have been destroyed – making the Marshall wildfire the most destructive in Colorado history. Officials expect the number of homes destroyed to rise.

The previous record was the Black Forest Fire of 2013 where just under 500 homes burned to the ground, KRDO reports.

More than 30,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in Superior and Louisville on Thursday.

Snow worsens situation

An overnight dumping of snow and frigid temperatures on Saturday compounded the misery of hundreds of Colorado residents who started off the new year trying to salvage what remains of their homes.

At least 6 inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits cast an eerie scene amid the still-smoldering remains of homes.

Despite the shocking change in weather, the smell of smoke still permeated empty streets blocked off by National Guard troops in Humvees.

What caused the fires?

Investigators are still trying to find the cause of the blaze that erupted on Thursday.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said utility officials found no downed power lines around where the fire broke out.

He said authorities were pursuing a number of tips and had executed a search warrant at “one particular location.” He declined to give details.

Missing woman’s family speaks out

Hutch Armstrong, Nadine’s grandson-in-law, told 9News that he and his family reporter the elderly woman missing after his wife’s cousin said she could not get the 91-year-old out of their home in Old Town Superior during the blaze.

“They tried to go out the front door with the neighbor. It was engulfed. Checked the back door it was engulfed,” Armstrong told the outlet.

Armstrong said the cousin made it out of the side door and tried to go back for Turnbull, where she suffered burns on her arms and legs.

However, Armstrong said that firefighters pulled her away.

“She says two times she was right behind me, right behind me,” Armstrong said.

Three people missing

While officials had previously said no one was missing, Boulder County spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said on Saturday that three people are missing after fires ripped through Colorado this week.

Among the missing was 91-year-old grandmother Nadine Turnbull. The identity of the other two people has not yet been released.

The wildfire that started on Thursday destroyed entire neighborhoods in a suburban area between Denver and Boulder.

The aftermath

Snow covers the burned remains of a home after the Marshall Wildfire Saturday in Louisville, Colorado.

An overnight dumping of snow and frigid temperatures compounded the misery of hundreds of Colorado residents who started off the new year trying to salvage what remains of their homes after a wind-whipped wildfire tore through the Denver suburbs.

‘Apocalyptic scenes’

Pensioner William Shrum, 72, lost power in his home before winds started to shake his home.

He already had a makeshift bed in his car but forgot his toothbrush and contact lenses.

Shrum said: “We’ve had a lot of fires nearby, but not right on top of us like this. I hope home is still here when I come back.”

Firefighters struggled with fires

Joe Pelle, sheriff of Boulder County, warned that fire crews couldn’t fight the blaze head-on.

He added: “We actually had deputy sheriffs and firefighters in areas that had to pull out because they just got overrun.”

At least six people have suffered injuries and so far no fatalities have been recorded, according to the Colorado Sun.

How many were evacuated?

On Thursday, roughly 30,000 people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to leave their homes.

The National Weather Service out of Denver/Boulder tweeted that the blazes have created a life-threatening situation, noting that the “fast-moving fires” should encourage people to “gather more information and be prepared to evacuate immediately.”

Governor declared state of emergency

Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency as wildfires burned through Boulder County.

His statement read: “The declaration allows the state to access disaster emergency funds to support the emergency response efforts in Boulder and provide state resources including the use of the Colorado National Guard, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and activation of the State Emergency Operations Center.”

Marshall Fire visible from downtown Denver

A Denver meteorologist shared an image of the Marshall Fire captured from a building in downtown Denver.

The blaze of the fire is visible in the distance, beyond the city skyline.

Residents may experience energy outages

Some Xcel Energy electric and natural gas customers will experience outages connected to the fires, according to the Colorado Sun.

The outages are intentional, and will help mitigate the “significant damage” the company’s utility infrastructure has already incurred.

The outages began Thursday and will continue into Friday.

“To decrease the amount of natural gas being used by furnaces in the area and keep the system up and running, the company is putting in place periodic electric outages to customers in Summit, Grand, Lake, Eagle, Saguache, Rio Grande and Alamosa counties for the next six to eight hours,” Xcel said in a statement.

Images show inferno

The Broomfield Police Department shared an image of the view from a Panda Express in Superior, Colorado, as the town is evacuated due to spreading fires on Thursday.

They are asking people to “Gather essentials like prescriptions, medical supplies, pet supplies, important papers, and alert neighbors.”

Wind gusts reached 110mph

According to The Colorado Sun, at least 600 homes and businesses in neighborhoods Superior and Louisville east of Boulder burned on Thursday.

The fire quickly spread as wind gusts reached 110mph.

At least six people were injured and treated for burns.

Inmates evacuated

The Broomfield Detention Center has been evacuated as fires spread through Boulder county in Colorado, said the Broomfield Police Department.

Inmates have been moved to another facility, the department tweeted shortly after midnight EST on December 31.

Some unable to evacuate due to outages

The Boulder Office of Emergency Management said on Facebook they are getting reports that some individuals in Louisville can’t evacuate because they are without power and can’t get their vehicles out of their garages.

“All garages have a red handle INSIDE that allows you to manually open your garage. Pull the handle to open your garage door,” the Office informed.

Colorado Gov surveys damage

Governor Jared Polis shared photos on Twitter of him walking through the devastated towns, after wildfires burned through Boulder County.

Polis said his administration will partner with President Joe Biden and other federal agencies to support those who were devastated by the wildfires.

Family desperate to find dog

A Colorado resident shared on Twitter that their family is missing their eight-year-old dog, who got lost amid the wildfires.

Bernie Sanders calls for climate action

The Vermont senator cited the unusually high temperatures in Alaska, and the Colorado wildfires as evidence of a “large-scale climate crisis.”

Sanders continued: “We need bold climate action and we need it now.”

White House statement, continued

“FEMA Administrator Criswell and her team are already working with their counterparts in Colorado to surge assistance.”

Fortunately, snowfall will help bring an end to the fires, and recovery efforts can get underway.”

“The President is grateful to all of the first responders who have come to the aid of Colorado communities and families impacted by the fires.”