US firefighters ‘overrun’ as wind-fuelled Colorado wildfires raze hundreds of homes
- At least one emergency worker and six others were injured, with authorities saying deaths and more injuries and deaths could be expected
- The activity of the fires, which are burning unusually late into the winter season, will depend on how the winds behave overnight
An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping centre have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fuelled wildfires outside Denver, officials said.
At least one first responder and six others were injured, though Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle acknowledged there could be more injuries and deaths could be possible due to the intensity of fires that quickly swept across the region as winds gusted up to 105mph (169kph).
The first fire erupted just before 10.30am and was “attacked pretty quickly and laid down later in the day and is currently being monitored” with no structures lost, Pelle said.
A second wildfire, reported just after 11am, “ballooned and spread rapidly east”, Pelle said. The blaze spans 6.5 square kilometres and has engulfed parts of the area in smoky, orangish skies and sent residents scrambling to get to safety.
The activity of the fires, which are burning unusually late into the winter season, will depend on how the winds behave overnight and could determine when crews are able to go in and begin assessing the damage and searching for any victims.
“This is the kind of fire we can’t fight head on,” Pelle said. “We actually had deputy sheriffs and firefighters in areas that had to pull out because they just got overrun,” he added.
Evacuations have been ordered for the city of Louisville, home to about 21,000 people, and Superior, which has another 13,000 residents.