Colorado Wildfires Labeled as a “Life-Threatening Situation,” Forced Evacuations for Thousands of People
A Mountain View wildland firefighter walks through the smoke and haze after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area in the Centennial Heights neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 30, 2021. State officials estimated some 600 homes had already been lost in multiple areas around Boulder County and were fueled by winds that gusted upwards of 100 miles per hour at times during the day. Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

A series of large wildfires in Colorado have forced 30,000 people to evacuate Boulder County, Superior, and Louisville with at least 200 homes having been destroyed and six people hospitalized due to the fires.

One of the fires was named the Marshall fire and was believed to have been caused by downed power lines amid the damaging winds. The fire grew to 1,600 acres, according to a Denver Post report.

Superior Mayor Clint Folsom said that the incident is devastating for their people, adding that they are literally watching it burn,

The Boulder Office of Emergency Management released an evacuation notice Superior at about 1 p.m., with the town having about 12,000 people.

Fire command also ordered an evacuation of Louisville's roughly 20,000 residents less than an hour later.

The wildfires have shut down highways, with several structures burned and responders going door to door in some areas to help people evacuate their homes.

Bould County officials asked the public at one point to stop calling 911 to report trees toppling and vehicles being blown over.

Colorado Wildfires Destruction

The National Weather Service labeled it a "life-threatening" situation, according to a USA Today report.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said that about 600 homes, a target shopping complex, and a hotel have been destroyed by fire in the area.

Pelle said that there have been no reports of missing people or fatalities yet. However, he said that it would not be surprising if there were injuries or fatalities from the wildfires.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on Thursday to allow the state to access emergency funds and services.

Some 20,000 residents of Louisville were also ordered to evacuate. Pelle said that all 370 homes in the Sagamore subdivision of Louisville also burned.

Spokeswoman Kelli Christensen said that six people were hospitalized with burns at UCHealth Broomfield Hospital. However, she did not elaborate on the conditions of the individuals, but that all six were being treated.

Pelle said that the Marshall fires have been really concerning as it was consuming football-field lengths of land in seconds, according to an ABC News Go report.

One officer was reported to have a minor injury to his eye due to windblown debris.

Colorado fire officials said that the high winds are making it difficult to have aerial support into the area to fight the fires.

Some roads have been shut down by the winds and trucks have been toppled.

Authorities called on people to stay home and off of roads if possible as a safety precaution. They added that Broomfield went on accident alert due to the damaging winds, adding that the situation is rapidly changing.

Aside from the Marshall fire, another fire was named as Middle Fork fire.

Officials in Boulder have set up various evacuation shelters at the South Boulder Recreation Center and YMCA of Northern Colorado, among others.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Agriculture said that the Boulder area is currently experiencing extreme drought.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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