Colorado wildfire torches hundreds of homes

KABUL (Pajhwok): Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and tens of thousands of people evacuated in the US state of Colorado.

Driven by high winds, wildfires engulfed two towns near the state capital, Denver, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

On Friday, residents who were forced out of their neighbourhoods by the wildfires anxiously waited to learn what was left standing after the flames burned an estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping centre.

Boulder county: With winds gusting up to 169 kilometres per hour, the National Weather Agency warned of a “life-threatening situation” in some areas.

Authorities ordered evacuations for Louisville, which has about 21,000 residents, and Superior, home to 13,000 people and a suburb of Boulder.

The neighbouring towns are roughly 32km northwest of Denver, a city of more than 715,000 people where a towering plume of smoke was visible.

“Due to the magnitude and intensity of this fire and its presence in such a heavily populated area, we would not be surprised if there are injuries or fatalities,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told reporters.

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