BIG Wildfire Burns in Boulder County, Colorado - Dec. 30, 2021

A wind-whipped grassfire roared east from Boulder Thursday afternoon, destroying at least 500 homes, closing major highways and causing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people in two towns, including hospital patients.

The Marshall fire, which officials said likely was sparked by downed power lines in the winds that reached gusts of more than 100 mph, grew to 1,600 acres by 5 p.m., Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said in an evening news conference.

“The end won’t come until the wind subsides,” Pelle said. “This is the kind of fire you can’t fight head on.”

More than 200 structures may have been lost to the flames in downtown Superior, including a hotel, he said. More than 300 homes were on fire in a single neighborhood.

“We are literally watching it burn,” Superior Mayor Clint Folsom said in an interview. “This is devastating for our people.”

Images from the area showed apartment buildings and entire neighborhoods engulfed in flames. Thick smoke blanketed the area, prompting officials to caution people against driving because of the diminished visibility.

Superior’s 12,000 people were the first to be evacuated, followed by Louisville with a population of about 20,000. Later in the evening, evacuations widened and parts of Broomfield were under pre-evacuation orders.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/12/30/boulder-county-two-grass-fires/