by Erin Guo
Wildfires have swept through Colorado into suburban areas, burning down and forcing several hundred families to leave their homes. The fires began last Thursday in Boulder County and are reported to be one of the largest and most costly wildfires in the state’s history.
Sheriff Joe Pelle of Boulder County said that he believed the fire began from downed power lines, but no evidence has been found of that (NYT). The fires have burned down more than 500 homes and 6,000 acres of land, but miraculously, there have been no deaths or major injuries yet, and it began to snow soon after, helping stop the fire. The cost from the fires is estimated to be between $819 million and $1.6 billion, according to an analysis done by FOX3.
The unusual thing was that wildfire season came late this year in Colorado due to severe drought seasons exacerbated by climate change, causing wildfires to happen very easily. The winds also worsened the situation and were uncommon in the area.
From this disaster, authorities have said that it will take years to rebuild everything destroyed, while Garry Sanfaçon, Boulder County’s disaster recovery manager, added that the state still was not finished with rebuilding from a previous disaster nine years ago.
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