Last Thursday’s Colorado fire that has caused irreparable damage to much of the land and houses it touched, is still bringing devastating news. 2 are still reportedly missing as officials on the scene continue to search and rescue. The Boulder County spokesperson Jennifer Churchill reported three missing after the initial account, one of which was found alive on Sunday.
A man living near Marshall and a woman from Superior are still missing and crews searching for the individuals report both of their homes to be “deep in hot debris and covered with snow. It is a difficult task.” The fire destroyed 991 buildings, mostly homes, in Louisville, including eight businesses that were part of the mall.
While visiting the areas affected by the Colorado fire, Gov. Jared Polis said, “I know this is a hard time in your life if you’ve lost everything or you don’t even know what you lost. A few days ago, you were celebrating Christmas at home and hanging your stockings and now home and hearth have been destroyed.”
Close to 9.4 square miles (24 square kilometers) is all burned and ash between Denver and Boulder, affecting more than 1000 houses in total. Regarding the 2 missing persons, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle stated that they had executed a search warrant and are pursuing many tips, “It’s complicated and it’s all covered with a foot of snow. The outcome of that investigation is vital — there is so much at stake. We are going to be professional. We are going to be careful.”
While several people think the Colorado fire was caused as a result of several small fires due to downed power lines, extremely dry weather as well as high gusts of wind, there’s still no exact cause determined. People left their homes as it is, some with only their savings, while others with just the bare clothes on their backs.
“There’s a numbness that hits you first. You know, kind of like you go into crisis mode. You think about what you can do, what you can’t do. The real pain is going to sink in over time,” said Rex Hickman, who had to leave his home of 23 years to burn due to the Colorado fire, along with his wife Barba Hickman, their son, and his wife.
He continued, “We know how fortunate we are. We have each other. We have great friends, wonderful family. So many people have got to be suffering much more than we are, and we feel for them,” the Hickman family are trying to find clothes and a rental-property to stay in, as their insurance company told them their house will be rebuilt in at least 2 years.
