Wildfires Rip Through Colorado
A fast-moving wildfire destroys dozens of homes near Boulder
By Claudia Atticot
Strong winds—some with gusts of 45 miles per hour—spread a large wildfire through Fourmile Canyon near Boulder , Colorado
Dee Spencer, right, lost her home near |
Fast-Moving Flames
The five-square-mile blaze spread quickly through three canyons, causing officials to close roads. Giant plumes of smoke filled the sky, some of which could be seen for miles.
Tom Neur, whose house was destroyed by the fire, drove through a wall of flames to escape the fast-moving fire. "The bumper is melted off in the front of the van," he said. His wife, Anna, who had been evacuated earlier, was relieved to hear that he had survived the blaze. "I don't care about the house," she told him. "I'm just glad you're ok."
No Cause Yet
Officials say they have not determined the cause of the fire, but area residents think dry weather is to blame. "We haven't had any rain in almost a month. Maybe more than a month," said Craig Douglas, who was forced to leave his home. "The humidity the last couple of days had been in the single digits, so it was a fire waiting to happen."
Nancy Engellenner and her husband Philip Helper believe they may have lost their home in the fire. "The way the wind was, it was just spitting flames everywhere," said Engellenner. They won't know for sure until it's safe to return to the area.
Although high winds make the fire difficult to control, firefighters hope to have it completely under control by Tuesday.
Max- The forest fires are very scary, and can let people die! Thousands of homes were being destroyed, but no one was hurt. Maybe the cause of the forest fire was just a little cigarette, or it maybe was global warming caused it to burn the forest. I think forest fires will often occur in |
