Three people have disappeared and are feared to have died in a wildfire in Colorado Reuters reports

Author Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) – Three people are missing and are feared dead after a wildfire in Boulder County, Colorado, left thousands dead and nearly 1,000 homes destroyed, officials said on Saturday.

Authorities initially said there were no reports of deaths or missing people after a missing urban fire broke out Thursday morning north of downtown Denver.

Winds of more than 100 miles per hour (160 kph) pushed the east flames to the cities of Superior and Louisville, forcing both areas to evacuate.

In about two hours, the fire burned 6,000 acres, officials said.

Boulder County Commissioner Joe Pelle said the three missing persons, who declined to be identified, were all living in houses that had been gutted by the blaze.

“The homes where the people will live are destroyed and covered with snow about eight inches,” Pelle told a news conference on Saturday, adding that cadaver dogs would be sent on Sunday to search for homes.

Pelle said 991 homes in Superior, Louisville and surrounding areas had been destroyed, making it the deadliest fire in state history in terms of lost homes.

Officials initially suggested that a fire from low-lying electric fields dropped by a hurricane could have triggered the fire, but a visit by a humanitarian company. Xcel Energy (NASDAQ 🙂 did not find any broken or low lines near the fireplace.

Pelle said investigators were investigating all possible steps to determine the cause of the fire. Based on the information, the sheriff said a search warrant was issued in connection with the investigation, but declined to provide further details.

U.S. President Joe Biden has declared the incident a global catastrophe, and released government funds to help business people to help restore, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.