US:Colorado wildfires burn hundreds of homes

In US, Tens of thousands of residents in two communities in the state of Colorado have been ordered to evacuate following wind-fueled wildfires that engulfed parts of the area in smoky, orangish skies and destroyed hundreds of homes  as flames tear through areas desiccated by a historic drought. Louisville’s 21,000 residents were told to evacuate on Thursday after the 13,000 people in Superior were ordered to leave. Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency to allow the use of disaster funding to support emergency response efforts and the mobilisation of the Colorado National Guard and other state resources as needed.

Prayers for families evacuating from the fires in Superior and Boulder County.

Evacuation points are at South Boulder Rec Center (1360 Gillaspie Dr, Boulder), Longmont Senior Center (910 Longs Peak Ave, Longmont), and YMCA of Northern Colorado (2800 Dagny Way, Lafayette).

— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) December 30, 2021

"We know that approximately 370 homes in the Sagamore subdivision have been lost. There's a potential of 210 homes lost in Old Town Superior," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told a news conference. Wind gusts of over 100 miles (160 kilometres) an hour have been reported in some places, fanning the flames and complicating firefighting efforts.

Very strong winds fueling the #marshallfire. Never a good sign when radar shows a smoke plume this strong.

Please heed all evacuations associated with this fire. Follow @BoulderOEM for latest evacuations and official fire info. #COwx pic.twitter.com/EzYy80xOBd

— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 30, 2021

Six people who were reported injured in the fires were being treated at UC Health Broomfield Hospital. The extent of property losses was not immediately known, but a news station aired footage of at least one home engulfed in flames near Louisville.