Marshall wildfire helps level hundreds of homes in Colorado

Forest fire in Rock District, Colorado, may have destroyed 1,000 homes, officials announced on Friday – but no casualties were reported.

The fast-moving Marshall Fire is thought to have started when high winds knocked power lines down and blew the blaze into residential areas. Experts say lower-than-normal autumn rainfall leaves the seed grass dry and brittle, making it easier to spread fires. Tens of thousands Rock-area residents are said to have evacuated on Thursday, before cooler temperatures and snowfall limited the spread of the fire.

At a news conference Friday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said the fire has caused severe damage to homes and businesses. “I would estimate it would be at least 500 houses,” Pelle said. He added that this number could increase with further testing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 1,000.”

Footage from Thursday night shown entire residential street on fire. The fire, propelled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour, occurred unexpectedly. Locals have been uploading scary footage on their cell phones as they walk out grocery and restaurant, only to find an encroaching wall of smoke and fire.

Although no human casualties have been confirmed, Boulder County residents have sent out urgent messages about dogs lost during the evacuation. By Friday, other locals had established lists of the dogs found and many families had self-reported. reunite with their animals.

Even as the fire is dying out, experts are advising Boulder County residents returning to their homes to exercise caution, noting that smoke can be trapped in the area, posing a respiratory hazard. The Boulder County City of Louisville has issued boiling water advice to residents, as they have diverted their primary water supply to firefighting efforts.

Officials said some areas were still smoldering, even as people returned to streets that had been leveled by the blaze.

“Our home is gone,” one person tweeted above a photo of a burned house. “Our neighborhood burned down.”