I used to live in Boulder and so the danger from wildfires like those occurring in Fourmile canyon since Labor Day were always a potential threat.
Firefighters intensified their battle Tuesday against a 7,000-acre blaze that destroyed at least 92 structures and damaged another eight, driving residents out of densely populated canyons in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just outside this outdoors-crazed town. […]
Even with calmer winds, the fire doubled in size overnight and officials cautioned that residents still could not return to see whether their homes were saved. “This is a very volatile situation,” Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. told reporters after touring the fire scene.
But the fires that are out of control in Detroit, MI today, possibly due to downed power lines caused by high winds and falling trees, are not something one would normally expect.
Detroit firefighters had to battle strong winds, hot and dry conditions, downed power lines and a lack of equipment and manpower at the same time they fought about 85 fires that erupted in four hours Tuesday afternoon.
Fire officials blamed most of the fires on downed electrical wires, though the cause of some fires remained under investigation. DTE Energy, which reported as many as 50,000 people without power due to the winds, said Tuesday night it had launched its own investigation.
The National Weather Service said wind gusts up to 40-50 m.p.h. had combined with a lack of rain and other factors to create “explosive fire growth potential.”
Lack of enough firefighters in Detroit has hindered the Detroit FD’s response to the fires and required them to call for assistance from other departments, apparently a rare occurrence in the past.
Some video:
