On Thursday evening in Colorado, wildfires caused thousands of people to be evacuated from the area as the fires devastatingly burned hundreds of homes.
Fueled by the unusual drought during this season and the high wind speeds– the highest recorded speed being 110 mph, the wildfires quickly engulfed neighborhoods in the suburbs just outside of Denver, resulting in upward of 500 homes lost in the fire.
In addition to hundreds of homes burned down by the wind-fueled grass fires, several businesses were destroyed in the fire.
Earlier in the day, residents of Boulder County were urged to evacuate the area immediately. Within hours, the population of nearly 34,000 took to the roads in a frantic attempt at escaping, causing traffic jams.
Officials say the Colorado fires began Thursday morning. However, the exact cause of the wildfires are still currently unclear.
The Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, soon declared a state of emergency to gain access to emergency resources and funds in response to the fires rapidly spread by high wind speeds.
In a news conference on Thursday, Governor Polis addressed the devastating event and his decision to declare a state of emergency:
“The declaration allows the state to access disaster emergency funds to support the emergency response efforts in Boulder and provide state resources including the use of the Colorado National Guard, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and activation of the State Emergency Operations Center,” He stated.
“This fire is, frankly, a force of nature. For those who have lost everything that they’ve had, know that we will be there for you to help rebuild your lives.”
