Wildfire witnesses ‘hazmat explosion fear at nitrogenous plant as Tesla burns’
The wildfire raging in Boulder County is said to be the most destructive in Colorado history as hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands fled in fear.
There were concerns about a potentially dangerous emergency as the blaze raged towards a property with a liquid nitrogen tank.
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At least 550 homes have been destroyed – making the Marshall wildfire the most destructive of all Colorado History. Officials predict the number of homes destroyed will increase.
The previous record was the 2013 Black Forest Fire, where just under 500 homes burned down, KRDO report.
More than 30,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in Superior and Louisville on Thursday.
At least six people were injured and so far no deaths have been recorded, according to Colorado Sun.
Striking photos show the aggressive flame burning properties of Centennial Heights and Broomfield.
Residents of Westminster were also told to leave and flights leaving Denver were halted earlier in the day because of high winds, reaching speeds of up to 105mph (169km/h).
Joe Pelle, the sheriff of Boulder County, has named the day “haunted”.
“The conditions surrounding the Marshall Fire are currently very unstable and unsafe,” he said.
Read ours Advanced Fire Blog, Colorado for the latest news and updates…
Pelle warned that the fire brigade could not confront the flames head-on.
He added: “We actually have sheriffs and firefighters in areas that have to pull out because they’ve just been flooded.”
Fire crews worked to evacuate a Capella Space building in Louisville, a manufacturer of radar imaging products.
Police scanner footage showed callers warning that up to two to four canisters of liquid nitrogen could explode if they caught fire.
Footage shows flames erupting from a Tesla car dealership in Superior. Tesla did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment when approached about the fire.
And, video uploaded to social media shows shoppers being evacuated from a Costco store, where they are encountered with plumes of gray smoke.
Resident Jason Fletcher said he has never been “this close to a fire”.
I said Washington Posts: “It was a typical morning. Blue sky. A few minutes later, black smoke started to come out.”
And, motorcyclist Robert Gutierrez didn’t realize he was driving toward the flames until a motorist warned him.
He said: “As soon as I turned around, you could start to see the flames go up. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t warned me.”
‘APOCALYPTIC SCENE’
Pensioner William Shrum, 72, lost power in his home before the wind started shaking his house.
He had a makeshift bed in his car but forgot his toothbrush and contact lenses.
“We had a lot of fires nearby, but not directly above us like this,” Shrum said. I hope home is still here when I return.”
And, Leah Angstman said to Related press that the sky was dark brown and the dust swirled around like snakes.
Hospitals in the southeastern part of Boulder County were evacuated including patients in intensive care.
Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette was evacuating its most critical patients when the fire broke out at night, CBS Denver reported.
And, inmates at a detention center in Broomfield were also transferred elsewhere.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said a massive fire near this population center was “absolutely devastating.”
Ninety percent of Boulder County is in severe or extreme drought and has not received significant rainfall since midsummer.
“With any layer of snow on the ground, this is absolutely not going to happen the way it did,” said snow hydrologist Keith Musselman.
The National Weather Service predicted that up to a foot of snow could fall on Friday, providing some relief.
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/4368929/boulder-county-fire-most-destructive-colorado/ Wildfire witnesses ‘hazmat explosion fear at nitrogenous plant as Tesla burns’
