Colorado braces for snow after wildfires force tens of thousands to flee

At least six people injured and close to 600 homes were feared destroyed, but there were no immediate reports of any deaths in the aftermath of the blazes that erupted outside Denver.

Years-long droughts in much of the American West have left vast areas parched and vulnerable to wildfire.
AP

Years-long droughts in much of the American West have left vast areas parched and vulnerable to wildfire.

A powerful storm system bringing heavy snowfall has blown into Colorado a day after devastating wildfires, fueled by hurricane-force winds, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee.

Friday’s storm is expected to bring up to a foot of snow in some parts of the state and to likely help extinguish the fires, but could also present new "life-threatening" challenges to travel in some areas, according to the US National Weather Service.

"It will be very chilly as we ring in the new year tonight," the NWS office in Boulder tweeted early on Friday, adding: "Snow will be falling across the majority of the area at midnight."

At least 33,000 people in the towns of Superior and Louisville were forced to find shelter on Thursday, officials said, as flames tore through areas desiccated by a historic drought. Authorities estimated that close to 600 homes had been lost.

The arrival of cooler weather and at least temporarily lighter winds had slowed the most destructive wildfire early on Friday, allowing local authorities to lift evacuation orders outside of Boulder County, the Denver Post reported.

"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 on Thursday.

Colorado media outlets reported that at least six people were hospitalized with injuries, though there were no immediate reports of deaths.

READ MORE: Thousands evacuated as wildfire burns hundreds of homes in western US

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Drought-fueling blazes

Like much of the American West, Colorado is in the grip of a years-long drought that has left the area parched and vulnerable to wildfire.

The fast-moving fires are thought to have begun when power lines were toppled by gusting winds.

Winds of over 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour were reported in some places, fanning flames and preventing aircraft from taking off.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on Thursday, noting that this fire, unlike previous blazes, was in suburban areas.

Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle, and help to clear dead brush, their scale and intensity is increasing.

Scientists say a warming climate, chiefly caused by human activities like the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns. This prolongs droughts in some areas and provokes unseasonably large storms in other places.

READ MORE: UN: Climate crisis threatens nearly 120M in Africa

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