Old coal mines that smoldered underground in the area could not be ruled out as playing a role in the fire, but were not deemed to be part of the cause, investigators said. Within hours, it destroyed 1,084 homes and seven commercial buildings, and damaged nearly 200 structures. Shifting winds caused the skies to turn from clear to smoky and then back again in an area filled with middle- and upper-middle class subdivisions surrounded by shopping centers, parks and schools.Īs smoke filled the parking lot of a Costco warehouse store and debris whirled around, a sheriff’s deputy ordered people inside to leave their carts, evacuate the sprawling building and head toward Denver, away from the fire. Thousands of residents were at home the day before New Year’s Eve and used the suburban area’s extensive road network to escape amid smoke, flames and blowing embers, which spread the fire in the wind. The remains of a 91-year-old woman, who was last seen trying to rescue her dogs from her home in Superior, were also found. The fire that destroyed swaths of houses in the cities of Superior and Louisville, neighboring towns about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Denver, is blamed for the death of a 69-year-old man who lived near where investigators believed the fire started. Members of the group - a Christian religious community thought to have 2,000 to 3,000 members worldwide - have repeatedly declined to discuss the fire or what happened since the 2021 blaze. “We operate and maintain our electric system consistent with leading energy service practices.”Ī worker at a Boulder deli run by The Twelve Tribes declined to comment or give their name Thursday when The Associated Press visited the restaurant. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion that Xcel Energy’s power lines caused the second ignition,” said a statement from spokesman Tyler Bryant. Xcel Energy strongly objected to the findings of the investigation, contending in a statement that it didn't have a chance to review what the company called “flawed" analyses. The two fires combined to cause the massively destructive blaze. “Once they realized there was a fire and it was spreading, they attempted to put it out, but the winds were quickly spreading the flames faster than they could put it out,” said Johnson, who lost his home in the blaze and teared up during the news conference.Ī loose Xcel Energy power line caused a separate fire less than half a mile (1 kilometer) away around the same time, Johnson said. 24 in a manner approved by firefighters who stopped by that day to investigate - was one cause when the powerful winds uncovered the buried embers six days later, Sheriff Curtis Johnson said at the news conference. The scrap wood fire - buried by residents Dec. It makes you nauseous in re-remembering everything,” Barba Hickman said.Įxperts say similar events will become more common as climate change warms the planet and suburbs grow in fire-prone areas. “On top of trying figure out how it started, all this just stirs up all the same emotions. It spread rapidly in winds that gusted up to 100 mph (160 kph) in places.įor one woman who lost her home and watched the news conference, seeing photos and hearing about the fire all over again was almost as difficult as the fire's immediate aftermath. The inferno erupted following months of drought amid a winter nearly devoid of snow and fed on bone-dry grassland surrounding fast-growing development in the area near the Rocky Mountain foothills. Two people were also found dead after what was known as the Marshall Fire. 30, 2021, blaze in heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder caused $2 billion in damage, making it the most destructive in Colorado history. “If we were to tell you today we are filing charges, it would be wrong and unethical," Dougherty said. (AP) - Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days earlier outside a home used by a Christian religious communal group along with a sparking power line caused a 2021 Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities said Thursday.Īuthorities spent 18 months investigating and determined criminal charges were not warranted for either The Twelve Tribes that occupied the home or the utility in charge of the power line, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at a news conference.
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