Residents flee their homes after massive fire in Colorado, United States | Globalism

Electric pylons brought down by strong winds caused small fires that formed in the dry landscape of Boulder County.

Louisville’s 20,000 residents, as well as the more than 13,000 Superior City residents, Receive an evacuation call. The National Weather Service said the situation was “endangering lives”.

And recorded winds of 160 km / h in several places, which led to the spread of fires and hampered the efforts of firefighters. Building structures were also hit.

“Prayers for the thousands of families evacuated due to fires in Superior and Boulder,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis wrote on Twitter. “Fast winds spread the flames quickly,” he added.

Historic drought and climate change

Like most of the western part of United StateColorado has gone through years of drought that has left the area dry and prone to wildfires.

While flames are a natural part of the climate cycle, helping to remove vegetation, their size and density are increasing.

Scientists warn that climate change, driven mostly by human activities such as the indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns.

This is prolonging droughts in many areas and causing unusually unusual storms in others, a phenomenon that can be expected as temperatures continue to rise worldwide.

University of California meteorologist Daniel Swain tweeted that it was “hard to believe” these fires were occurring in December, when these types of flames don’t usually occur.

“But if we take a hot, dry autumn, with only an inch of snow so far in season, and add a strong gust of wind (over 160 km/h) … the result is very fast and dangerous fires,” he explained. .