Wildfires in Colorado, USA – news.ORF.at

In the US state of Colorado, wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes. We know that around 370 homes have been destroyed in Sagamore. It’s possible that 210 homes in Old Town Superior have been destroyed,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Bailey said at a news conference. Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency.

Winter forest fires are very uncommon in the region. However, Colorado suffers from a drought that has made the area vulnerable to wildfires. Wind blown power lines had started a series of small fires that spread across the parched countryside of Boulder County. The crane also made it difficult to put out the fire. The city of Louisville, with a population of 20,000, and a population of 13,000, was ordered to leave the area. The National Weather Service described the situation as “life threatening.”

In northern Alaska, authorities have warned of “icemageddon” (referring to the word “Armageddon” for utter disaster). They meant the sudden mass of ice blocking the streets in Fairbanks. Hours earlier, the thermometer on Kodiak Island in southern Alaska reached 19.4 degrees Celsius — a historic December temperature record for the state. There was more rain than in decades, and it froze to the ground when temperatures fell below zero again.

Strange weather combined with snow and rain also caused traffic problems and evacuations in Washington state and California.

Scientists attribute the increasingly severe and unpredictable weather in recent months in the United States to man-made climate change. Wildfires and storms are intensifying and causing extensive damage.