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The misery of hundreds of Colorado residents who started off the new year trying to save what remains of their homes after a wind-whipped wildfire in the Denver suburbs was compounded by an overnight dumping of snow and frigid temperatures.
There was at least 6 inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits on Saturday, which made for an eerie scene as the remains of homes destroyed in the Thursday's wildfire are still smoldering. The smell of smoke was still present despite the change in weather, as the National Guard troops were blocking off the streets.
The Red Cross distributed electric space heaters to the thousands of residents whose homes survived the conflagration.
There were at least seven people injured, but there were no reports of deaths in the wildfire that erupted in and around Louisville and Superior, which have a combined population of 34,000. More than 500 homes were feared to have been destroyed.
The fire, which burned at least 24 square kilometers, was no longer considered an immediate threat.
Families who fled the flames with little warning returned to find their homes destroyed. The homes that were reduced to smoking ruins stood next to the unaffected ones.
Eric House said that he walked out his front door for 35 years. My home is standing when I leave. This is what I see when I walk out my door.
Glaab found that her home in Superior had been turned into a pile of charred and twisted debris. There were seven houses that were destroyed.
Glaab tried to break a smile through tears when he said the mailbox was standing. She said, sadly, "So many memories."
She and her husband have lived in the house since 1998. They love that the land backs up to a natural space and they have a view of the mountains from the back.
After seeing firefighters try to save his home on the news, Rick thought there would be nothing to return to. On Friday, the family found it mostly gutted but still standing, with a gaping hole in the roof.
He held his mother-in-law's china in padded containers and thought he had lost everything. They found sculptures that belonged to the father and piles of clothes still on the shelf.
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to flee as the flames swept over the neighborhoods with alarming speed.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Utility officials found no downed power lines when they inspected the area after the fire broke out.
With some roads still closed, people went back to their homes to get clothes or medicine, or to see if they still had a house. They left carrying backpacks and suitcases.
David Marks stood on a hillside overlooking Superior with others, using a pair of binoculars and a long-range camera lens to see if his house and those of his neighbors were still there. He said at least three friends lost their homes.
The neighborhood burned as he watched from the hillside.
The houses were completely engulfed when he arrived. It happened so fast. I have never seen anything like that before.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the area on Friday and ordered federal aid to be made available.
The fire broke out late in the year, after an extremely dry fall and a winter that was nearly devoid of snow.
The sheriff said that more than 500 homes were destroyed. He and the governor said as many as 1,000 homes may have been lost.
The sheriff said it was unbelievable that there was no list of missing persons.
Some communities were reduced to smoking holes in the ground. He urged residents to stay away from the area because of the danger of fire and fallen power lines.
The subdivisions of Superior and Louisville have shopping centers, parks and schools. The University of Colorado is located in the area.
Climate change is making the weather more extreme.
Boulder County has been in a severe or extreme dry spell since the summer. Denver set a record for consecutive days without snow before it got a small storm.
Bruce Janda lost his home in Louisville on Friday.
He said that he wanted to see what the rest of the neighborhood looked like after seeing the house that was totaled. We are very close to each other on this street. We all love each other. It is hard to see this happen to all of us.
Associated Press writers in Colorado, New York, and Salt Lake City contributed to the report. The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative has a corps member. Report for America places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
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The AP gets support for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP does not accept responsibility for the content. For all of the AP's environmental coverage, visit the hub.
Colorado fire victims begin new year with destruction
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