Colorado wildfires trigger state of emergency – 30,000 evacuated and 580 homes destroyed

The fires are moving rapidly through Boulder County and have already destroyed 580 homes in the area. The blazes broke out on Thursday and have already become the most destructive in the state’s history. The fires are raging north of Denver and are being fanned by flames that have reached 105mph.

Governor of the state, Jared Polis, has now declared a state of emergency due to the severity of the fire.

He said: “This fire is not so much a question of resources.

“This fire is a force of nature.

“We hope that the winds die down, that the weather changes.

“But for those who are directly affected, know that you don’t stand alone.”

At this time of year, the state is usually covered by high levels of snow.

However, due to high winds, power lines were toppled thus sparking the flames

Joe Pelle, sheriff of Boulder County, said conditions have been harrowing for firefighters.

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“The Element hotel is on fire.

“We had one officer lightly injured, but thankfully no fatalities.”

While no fatalities have been reported, Mr Pelle said he expects that to change rapidly as the fire sweeps through.

He added: “We currently have no reports of missing people, and no casualty reports.

“But given the ferocity of this fire, it wouldn’t surprise us if we did.”