Forest fires in the US state of Colorado: Nearly 1,000 buildings destroyed

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Residents stand in front of their destroyed homes

Photo: David Zalubowski / AP

According to official figures, around 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in the fires in the US state of Colorado, in which more than 30,000 people were evacuated north of Denver, and three people are missing. 991 buildings fell victim to the flames, around 130 other buildings were damaged according to an initial survey, said the sheriff's office for the Boulder district on Saturday. It is to be expected that the number will increase with more detailed inspections. On Friday, the authorities had assumed that around 500 houses were damaged or destroyed.

According to the disaster control, three people were initially still missing after the fires, seven were injured.

No fatalities have been reported so far.

The authorities want to use search dogs to rescue the missing as soon as the weather permits.

Smaller sources of fire had spread rapidly in the area on Thursday, favored by sometimes very strong winds.

In the towns of Louisville and Superior, around 34,000 residents should get to safety.

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The cause of the fires was still unclear.

Officials had initially speculated that the fires, which are atypical for the winter in the region, were triggered when the wind tore power lines to the ground.

However, Sheriff Joe Pelle said Saturday no broken power lines had been found.

There was a search warrant because of the fires, he said - without giving any further details.

Recordings show the extent of the destruction

The aerial photographs showed entire streets with only a pile of ashes from the houses. Other houses in the neighborhood remained unscathed for no apparent reason. Forest fires in winter are very uncommon in the region. But months of drought in the region had helped the fires to spread. Remaining embers were covered with around 20 centimeters of fresh snow on Saturday night, which is why the fire was no longer considered threatening. According to media reports, the fire known as the "Marshall Fire" had spread over an area of ​​around 24 square kilometers.

Governor Jared Polis had already declared a state of emergency for the district northwest of the regional capital Denver on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden also approved a declaration of emergency under federal law, which allows additional help for those affected.

"That was a fast-motion disaster," Polis said.

"Many families only had minutes to put whatever they could - their pets, their children - in the car and drive away."

kah / AFP / dpa