Three people reported missing in wake of Colorado fires
- At least 991 homes are thought to have been destroyed as the blaze raced through the towns of Superior and Louisville
- Emergency services said they received ‘hundreds of calls’ about people potentially missing, but only three had been confirmed
Three people are missing after a fire tore through several Colorado towns, quickly destroying nearly 1,000 homes as part of the latest in a string of US natural disasters.
“We’re very fortunate that we don’t have a list of 100 missing. But unfortunately we do have three confirmed missing people,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told a press conference.
At least 991 homes are thought to have been destroyed as the blaze raced through the towns of Superior and Louisville on Thursday, just outside the state’s biggest city Denver, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee with little notice.
Shocking aerial footage showed whole streets as little more than piles of smoking ash, destruction that appeared almost total but somehow left a few homes oddly untouched.
Pelle said the search for the missing had been hampered by the destruction and snow.
“The structures where these folks would be are completely destroyed and covered with about eight inches (20cm) of snow right now.”
Investigators found no credible evidence to back earlier reports that downed power lines may have caused the fire, with Pelle stating that some residents may have been confused by downed telecoms lines.
However, investigators have “executed a search warrant in one particular location” as part of an ongoing investigation that Pelle described as “very active” and comprising federal and state partners.