U.S. Governor of Colorado Jared Polis toured destroyed neighborhoods in Boulder County on Sunday as he witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by last week’s massive forest fire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and other buildings .
In the suburbs between Denver and Boulder, flames spread over at least 15 square miles.
Authorities initially said everyone was held accountable after the fire. However, Boulder County spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said the reports of three missing people were discovered later amid the scramble to deal with the emergency.
One was found alive, officials said on Sunday.
Search teams are still looking for the two missing people in the snow-covered but still smoldering rubble of the massive conflagration, while people who narrowly escaped the flames sort the remains of the fire and investigators tried to pinpoint the cause.
The wildfire came unusually late in the year after an extremely dry autumn and an almost snow-free winter. Experts say these conditions, along with high winds, helped the fire spread.
“I know this is a tough time in your life when you’ve lost everything or don’t even know what you’ve lost,” Polis said after the tour.
“A few days ago you celebrated Christmas at home and hung up your stockings and now the house and hearth are destroyed.”
The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Utility officials found no rundown power lines near the source of the fire.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said Saturday that authorities were investigating a series of leads and issued a search warrant in “a certain location”. He didn’t want to give details.
Of at least 991 buildings destroyed by the fire, most were residential, but the fire also burned through eight stores in a Louisville mall, including a nail salon and a subway restaurant.
In neighboring Superior, 12 stores were damaged, including a Target, Chuck E. Cheese, a Tesla dealer, a hotel and the town hall.
The two cities are about 30 kilometers northwest of Denver and have a combined population of 34,000.
Supply teams expected most of the electricity to be restored to homes that were still standing on Sunday, but warned the gas service could take longer to come back.
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