The recent Boulder fire has grabbed international attention. On 30 Dec 2021, raging wildfires swept through Boulder County and caused tremendous destruction. Due to the fire, over 600 homes were destroyed as the entire Boulder County remained blanketed under the smoke.
On 30 Dec 2021, a marshall of ferocious wind-driven wildfire perished hundreds of homes—forcing residents to evacuate the place. The strong gush of wildfire blanketed the entire area in smoke and also destroyed businesses near Boulder and Denver, Colorado. After several grass fires exploded in size near Boulder, Colorado, over ten thousand people had to evacuate the area. The fires further ripped through entire communities amid wind gusts of 75 mph or more.
The high winds that fanned fires in Boulder County continued since the night of 30 Dec. The suburbs of Superior and Louisville remained under evacuation orders. While one large wildfire raged on and forced firefighters to withdraw in many areas, another one remained under control.
What caused the Boulder Fire?
On the afternoon of 30 Dec, a cloud of dark gray smoke blew over the town of Superior (located about 20 miles northwest of Denver). As a result, authorities ordered the entire town comprising about 13,000 residents to evacuate. Moreover, about 210 homes were lost in the Old Town area of Superior.
On the very same night of 30 Dec, orange flames ripped through the Rock Creek neighborhood of Superior while numerous other fires dotted the horizon. Known as Marshall Fire and Middle Fork fires, the fire boulder caused about 40 ft high flames that swept through football-field-sized fields within moments.
Before the sunset, the Boulder fire had already engulfed through 1600 acres. It had also immersed over 500 homes in the Superior town. Moreover, the fire boulder nearly burned the other heavily populated suburbs the northwest of Denver. Dry conditions and winds that gusted above 100 mph further fueled the fire.
The aftermath of the Wildfire
As per reports, authorities reported one injury. They added that more causalities are likely to be reported. The high winds also knocked down power lines in several areas. It is still unknown as to what caused the Marsall fire and the Middle Fork. While the Marshall Fire is concerning (as it has destroyed over 500 homes), the Middle Fork remains under control as reported by officials.
According to some early evidence, as reported by KMGH (The Denver Channel), a sparking power line could have ignited the Boulder fire. The area supervisors are taking massive measures to prevent triggering the fire in Boulder County. Xcel Energy cut off the power supply in the area to prevent downed power lines from sparking and further triggering more fires.
2021 has been a year of pristine climate change implications. Wildfires such as the Boulder fire have emerged in several other parts of the world—causing massive destruction. It is high time for us to start taking these adversities on a serious note. Else, it would too late to reverse the damage.
Also Read: Climate Change Affecting Several Regions Drastically
