Up to 1,000 homes torched by devastating Colorado fire

Up to 1,000 homes were lost Thursday as a wildfire "moving at a speed and magnitude we have never seen before" swept across several miles of Colorado's eastern plains devastating two suburban communities.

Exhausted officials, including U.S. House Rep. Joe Neguse from Boulder, who captured the explosive nature of the blaze in the preceding remarks, spoke to the media Friday morning.

All officials used words like "miraculous, unbelievable and thankful," that no injuries or fatalities were reported from the sudden inferno, that stunned the affluent area located 22 miles (35.4 kilometers) northwest of the state capital Denver.

"We have our own New Year's miracle ... no loss of life," said Colorado Governor Jared Polis at a news conference after touring the devastation in the air with local officials.

Just as Polis' helicopter was landing for the press conference, snow had begun to fall across the rolling hills of Colorado's Front Range, bringing another sign of relief for hundreds of firefighters who had spent the night battling fingers of the blaze as it extended further into suburban communities.

While snowfall has blanketed the nearby Rocky Mountains with more than three feet of powder at higher elevations over the past week, the eastern, flat Front Range, has seen a record absence of snow this year.

Friday's year-ending snowfall over Thursday's smoldering fire area is expected to squelch the blaze, officials said, ending a 24-hour nightmare for many.

"We are all just struggling to believe and understand the devastation of the fire," Polis said, as dozens of families remained uncertain if their lifelong possessions remained intact.

The governor offered hope and reconciliation to homeowners saying that, only "physical objects" were lost in the fire and asked them to "look for 'the helpers,'" the emergency responders and relief organizations that surface when such disasters strike.

"In Colorado, we are used to this, unfortunately," said U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, who also spoke at the conference, as wildfires and floods have plagued the Centennial State for the past decade, due to historic drought conditions.

Polis told the media he had spoken to U.S. President Joe Biden early Friday morning, who had immediately triggered the release of federal relief funds by calling for a state of emergency.

Polis, Bennett, and Neguse all thanked emergency responders effusively for saving lives by responding quickly and bringing people to safety.

As the flames continued into the night, hundreds of firefighters descended on the region from all sides, especially metro Denver to the south and Boulder to the northwest, where their tankers unleashed volumes of water to save homes.

"In the blink of an eye this was a disaster," Polis said of the unprecedented speed of the blaze, and that "many families had just a minute to get kids, pets, out of their homes and flee."

SUBURBAN TAKE

The governor also noted the unusual aspect of the wildfire being "close to home ... as a suburban/urban fire ... destroying the Costco where we shop ... and our homes that resemble sanctuaries of hope and reservoirs of memories."

With thousands of evacuees, the governor assured residents of immediate temporary housing, also expedited by President Biden's emergency declaration Friday morning that will release federal money immediately so "residents won't have to wait for housing and relief assistance," Polis said.

Neguse reiterated Polis' commitment to helping the hundreds who unexpectedly lost houses, "all those you lost homes we will assist you in any way we can," adding that "it was heartening to see Colorado residents" quickly rush in droves to relief areas to bring supplies to families left homeless.

"Boulder County has been through this before," Bennet noted, referring to devastating wildfires and floods that have impacted the region in the past few years. But the senior senator, serving in Washington, D.C. since 2009, also emphasized the resilience of the community.

It's unusual that it happened on the plains. "But we are Colorado mountain strong," Bennet said. "We will rebuild stronger than before."

At the end of his remarks, Polis spoke for two minutes in fluent Spanish, telling some 24 percent Latino constituents about the horrible disaster and Biden's quick response.