News
Colorado wildfires destroy hundreds of homes
Fast-moving wildfires in the US state of Colorado destroyed hundreds of homes and forced at least 33,000 people to flee, officials have said, as flames tore through areas desiccated by a historic drought.
At least 1,600 acres (650 hectares) have burned in Boulder County, much of it suburban, with officials warning that deaths and injuries were likely as the blaze took hold of a hotel, shopping center and apartment complex in the town of Superior.
“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.
“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.”
Colorado media outlets reported that at least six patients were hospitalized with injuries.
About 33,000 people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to flee, with the National Weather Service (NWS) describing the situation as “life-threatening.”
Patrick Kilbride, 72, was at work in a hardware store when he heard the order to evacuate, The Denver Post reported.
He raced home to gather his possessions but was unable to save anything other than his car and the clothes he was wearing.
His dog and cat both perished.
“It’s ashes,” he said of the home he has lived in for three decades.
“It’s just a strange feeling to go from having everything to make your life comfortable to having nothing,” he said.
The fast-moving fires are thought to have begun when power lines were toppled by gusting winds.
Winds of over 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour were reported in some places, fanning flames and preventing aircraft from taking off.
Patti Holtz described the terror of evacuating her Boulder County home.
“The ditches and things and the trees, they’re all up in flames,” she said.
“There’s embers everywhere. So it makes me very frightened of course, with the wind, that it’s going to continue to spread to other homes.
“It was so dark, of course, that you just can’t see anything. It’s like the black of night.”
Changing weather conditions may provide some relief: NWS cancelled high wind warnings in affected areas late on Thursday and forecast heavy snow across Colorado over the next two days.
‘Devastating’
Flames engulf homes as the Marshall Fire spreads through a neighborhood in the town of Superior in Boulder County, Colorado on December 30, 2021. Jason Connolly / AFP
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency Thursday over what he said were devastating fires.
Unlike previous blazes in the state, he said, this one is not in the countryside.
“This area is right in and around suburban sub-developments, stores,” he said.
“It’s like the neighborhood that you live in. It’s like the neighborhood that any of us live in.”
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.
“One of the many factors that lead to the devastating wildfire today is the recent record dryness,” the NWS office in Boulder tweeted.
Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle, and help to clear dead brush and reduce disease in vegetation, 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 — phenomena that are expected to get worse as worldwide average temperatures continue to climb.
Daniel Swain, a meteorologist at the University of California, tweeted that it was “hard to believe” these fires were taking hold in December, usually a quieter time for blazes.
“But take a record warm & dry fall, only 1 inch of snow so far this season, & add an extreme (100mph+) downslope windstorm…and extremely fast moving/dangerous fires are the result,” he said.
Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd District, called the wildfires “unprecedented.”
“(The wildfires) have just created a level of devastation and destruction that our state has not experienced before,” he told CNN.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency approved funding for Colorado’s firefighting teams on Thursday.
“The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs,” the agency’s statement said.
Traditional rites, medical outreach, sporting events and youth competitions feature in weeklong celebration
AGO-IWOYE came alive with cultural displays, sporting activities and community development initiatives as indigenes and residents gathered for the 2026 Ago-Iwoye Day celebration.
The weeklong programme, which began on Monday, October 5, brought together indigenes from across Nigeria and the diaspora to celebrate the town’s cultural heritage and promote unity and grassroots development.
The celebration opened with the traditional Woro Plucking Programme at Ojuade Olooto at 7am on Monday. This was followed by intellectual and strategy games at the Ebumawe Palace, where participants competed in chess, draughts, Scrabble and Ayo Olopon.
Health and sports featured prominently on Tuesday, October 6, as residents took part in a medical check-up and eye screening exercise at the Ago-Iwoye City Hall.
At the Ago-Iwoye Stadium, sports enthusiasts watched the table tennis finals and the final of the Quarters Football Competition.
The activities continued on Wednesday, October 7, with the finals of the secondary school football competition for male and female categories at the stadium.
Students returned to the spotlight on Thursday, October 8, for a quiz and debate competition at the City Hall. The academic activities were complemented by a public lecture on sustainable community development and youth empowerment.
On Friday, October 9, the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye led a health walk from the Omoedumare Roundabout at 7am, drawing residents into another activity designed to promote healthy living and community participation.
The day ended with Ebiripo Night at the Imososi Primary School Field, where music, dance and folklore accompanied celebrations around the town’s popular local delicacy.
The grand finale is scheduled for today, Saturday, October 10, at the Imososi Primary School Field, with traditional performances, civic honours and fundraising activities on the programme.
A thanksgiving service at the Methodist Cathedral, Imere, Ago-Iwoye, is expected to bring the celebration to a close on Sunday, October 11.
Speaking on the significance of the event, the Secretary of the Planning Committee, Dr Samuel O. Awobona, said the turnout demonstrated the commitment of indigenes and residents to preserving the town’s identity and advancing its development.
He said, “This weeklong celebration underscores our collective resolve to preserve our identity while driving grassroots development. The massive turnout across all generations reflects the enduring spirit of Ago-Iwoye.”
The annual celebration provides an opportunity for the community to showcase its traditions while bringing residents, young people and indigenes in the diaspora together around shared cultural and developmental goals.
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