Iran Press/ America: The fire burned in a mosaic fashion as the flames and 160 km per hour winds combined to act like a blowtorch to some structures while completely missing others, mainly in Louisville and Superior. The fire destroyed at least 500 structures, mostly homes, and moved so quickly that many fled on foot or as flames licked at their cars. More than 30,000 people fled or were evacuated to stay in local recreation centers.
The people of Boulder County, including Louisville, have had to brace against nature's force several times in the past decade alone. They have experienced at least four major wildfires and a historic flood, whose destruction was exacerbated by erosion caused by previous fires. This year, the region has experienced unseasonably warm temperatures and drought. The season's first snowstorm arrived on Friday as homes still smoldered, abnormally late.
In the summer of 2020, Colorado suffered three of the largest wildfires in its history, but those fires burned for days or even weeks. Thursday's blaze devastated suburban neighborhoods and shopping plazas with familiar stores like Target and Costco in half a day, accelerated by winds so fierce they overturned at least three semi-trailers on local highways and knocked down power lines, which are suspected of having sparked the fire.
Wildfires in the American west have been burning later into the fall and the winter, with scientists pointing to climate change as the likely culprit due to rising temperatures and disrupted moisture patterns.
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