Updates From Colorado Fire: People Missing, Count of Homes Burned Rises

A person combs through the wreckage of a fire-destroyed
home in Colorado after last week's fires. At least two
people remain missing and 991 buildings were destroyed. 

In the initial aftermath of that big, horrific wildfire in Colorado last week, I was hoping for a miracle.  Preliminary reports seemed to indicate nobody died in the fire.  

Alas, that was not to be. At least two people are missing and are presumed to have died in the fire.  

Officials say 991 buildings were destroyed and 127 damaged. The vast majority of these structures were homes. News9 reports that's not the final total but will be close to it.

Speculation initially indicated downed power lines caused the fire.  But later, utility workers could not find any downed wires near where the fire started.  People driving by the area when the fire was starting reported seeing a shed on fire amid strong winds. 

The shed is on land owned by Twelve Tribes, a fundamentalist religious sect.  Authorities executed a search warrant on the property, but it's unclear whether any criminal charges are coming, or even if the devastating fire started at the shed or spread to it from a nearby area, the Daily Beast and New York Times reported. 

If human negligence was involved, then criminal charges could result, News9 reported.

As in most other big disasters, there's been an outpouring of help headed to Boulder County, Colorado. That's from next door neighbors whose homes managed to survive, to people across the U.S.  Obviously, the Biden administration is providing federal aid, too. 

Some of the efforts are sad, but creative and moving. 

A local woman's clothing boutique in the area called Due South was undamaged in the fire.  So the owner, who lost her own home to fire 28 years to the day of this wildfire, gave 41 women who lost everything a $500 free shopping spree in the store. 

Other volunteers have build sifters, boxes with wire screens on the bottom, so that fire victims can go through the ashes of their homes to find belongings like rings, other jewelry coins and small metal heirlooms. 

One of the volunteers, Erin Moe, said her group made 90 sifters for the people who lost their homes. 

If you want to help Colorado fire victims, click on this link from News9 to know which is the best way to handle this. 

Video: An insider look taken by a firefighter as other firefighters struggle to deal with dozens of burning houses amid extreme winds and a lack of water to fight the flames.  Click on this hyperlink or view video below by clicking on arrow, then YouTube logo.