Three people are missing and are being searched… 20cm heavy snow fell last night, exacerbating the suffering of victims
[로이터 연합뉴스 자료 사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]
(Washington, New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kyeong-hee Kim and Gun-taek Kang = Nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed in a large wildfire in Colorado, USA.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelli said at least 991 homes were destroyed in the December 30 fire, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Hundreds of other homes were also damaged and three people were missing, Sheriff Pelli said.
Authorities formed a search team to find the missing person, but they are experiencing difficulties as heavy snow fell on the rubble of the collapsed building.
In the affected area, 20 centimeters of snow piled up the night before and the temperature dropped below -10 degrees Celsius, adding to the suffering of the victims who lost their homes.
It is said that the fire spread rapidly with strong winds, and many residents were barely able to escape.
[AP=연합뉴스]
Wildfires usually occur in remote mountains, but this time they started close to the village and spread quickly with strong winds, causing great damage. It is said that the fire spread easily as the trees dried up due to the drought that continued for several months.
The deadliest wildfire in Colorado’s history is estimated to have burned at least 24 square kilometers of northwest Denver.
Residents who had evacuated in a hurry came back to collect clothes and medicines, and when they saw the collapsed nests, they wept or looked dismayed, the AP reported.
Red Cross volunteers are distributing electric stoves to residents, and power and gas companies are rushing to restore service.
In light of the serious damage, US President Joe Biden declared Colorado a disaster zone the day before, the White House said in a press release on the same day.
President Biden also ordered federal aid for disaster recovery.
kyunghee@yna.co.kr
<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스,
Unauthorized reproduction-redistribution prohibited>
2022/01/02 08:18 Send
