2 Colorado cities evacuated by wind-driven wildfire
Global News
The city of Louisville, which has a population of about 21,000, was ordered to evacuate after residents in Superior, which has 13,000 residents, were told to leave.
Thousands of residents in two communities near Denver were ordered to evacuate on Thursday because of a wind-fuelled wildfire that engulfed parts of the area in smoky, orangish skies.
The city of Louisville, which has a population of about 21,000, was ordered to evacuate after residents in Superior, which has 13,000 residents, were told to leave.
The neighbouring towns are roughly 32 km northwest of Denver, and a nearby portion of U.S. Highway 36 also was shut down because of fire.
The blaze near the towns was one of several that started in the area on Thursday, at least some sparked by downed powerlines, as winds gusted up to 105 mph (169 km/h) and sent flames racing through barren trees, according to the National Weather Service.
Colorado’s Front Range, where most of the state’s population lives, had an extremely dry and mild fall, and winter so far has continued to be mostly dry. Snow was expected Friday in the region, though.
Video captured by a bystander outside a Superior Costco store showed winds whipping through trees in the parking lot surrounded by gray skies, a hazy sun and small fires scattered across the ground.
Leah Angstman and her husband saw similar skies while returning to their Louisville home from Denver International Airport after being away for the holidays.
