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Posts : 111040 Join date : 2014-07-29 Age : 101 Location : A Mile High
Subject: Re: Obi--Boulder Fires Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:20 pm
Colorado wildfires: Tens of thousands evacuated as blazes spread Published 25 minutes ago | BBC
While previous fires in Colorado have been in rural areas, these latest blazes are taking place in towns
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been destroyed as wildfires spread through the US state of Colorado.
The fast-moving fires are burning in Boulder County, north of Denver, and officials say deaths and injuries are likely as the blazes spread further.
Some 30,000 people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to leave their homes on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared by Governor Jared Polis.
"This fire is not so much a question of resources," he told a press conference. "This fire is a force of nature."
"We hope that the winds die down, that the weather changes," he added. "But for those who are directly affected, know that you don't stand alone."
Winds of up to 105 mph (169 kph) are sweeping flames across the region following a historic drought.
And while previous fires in Colorado have been in rural areas, these latest blazes are taking place in more suburban parts of the state.
At least some were sparked when power lines were toppled by strong winds, and they have quickly become the most destructive wildfires in the modern history of the state.
Fires have ripped through the town of Louisville
Some 370 homes went up in flames west of Superior and 210 were lost in the Old Town area of Superior, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.
A shopping complex and hotel were also fully engulfed.
At least one first responder and six others were injured, Sheriff Pelle said, adding that more casualties were likely.
One video taken outside a supermarket showed a dramatic scene as winds ripped through the car park.
Patrick Kilbride, 72, was at work in a hardware store when he heard the order to evacuate, The Denver Post reported.
He rushed home but only had time to gather a few possessions before the flames engulfed the property. His pet dog and cat both died.
"It's just a strange feeling to go from having everything to make your life comfortable to having nothing," he said.
Colorado has been experiencing extreme droughts in recent years. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
Subject: Re: Obi--Boulder Fires Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:46 pm
Obi-- Must See--- FULL SCREEN IT-- The first light shows destruction from Marshall Fire- Drone.
The Wise And Powerful Admin
Posts : 111040 Join date : 2014-07-29 Age : 101 Location : A Mile High
Subject: Re: Obi--Boulder Fires Mon Jan 03, 2022 6:33 am
Police Pinpoint Starting Point of Historic Colorado Wildfire Vincent Del Giudice Sun, January 2, 2022, 3:06 PM·2 min read
(Bloomberg) -- Investigators located the ignition point of the devastating Boulder County, Colorado, wildfire that engulfed more than 1,000 buildings in drought-parched grasslands at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and the governor of the state underscored heightened risks posed by climate change.
“It’s really obvious where that fire started and what direction it went,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a news conference Sunday. The location is near the intersection of a state highway where a wooden shed was photographed ablaze Thursday, Pelle said, noting his office executed a search warrant but “it is an open and active investigation.”
The 6,215-acre wind-whipped blaze that destroyed 991 buildings, damaged more than 100 others and left two people missing and presumed dead. A third person reported missing was located alive, Pelle said. Investigators initially suspected downed power lines caused the blaze, however, Xcel Energy Inc. -- the electric provider in the area -- found no evidence.
Posts : 111040 Join date : 2014-07-29 Age : 101 Location : A Mile High
Subject: Re: Obi--Boulder Fires Tue Jan 04, 2022 12:43 pm
Religous Sect, Burning Shed Focus of Deadly Colorado Fire Investigation Barbie Latza Nadeau, The Daily Beast Tue, January 4, 2022, 4:16 AM
Authorities investigating a devastating fire in Colorado are focused on a burning shed on land owned by the fundamentalist religious sect known as the Twelve Tribes.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle revealed at a Monday press conference that investigators have narrowed down the fire’s origin to land owned by the sect, but he cautioned that investigators “are going to be careful” before making any conclusions.
“We will sort it out. It’s an active, open deal and the outcome of that investigation is vital. There is so much at stake,” he told reporters.
Two people are missing and presumed dead from the fire that started Dec. 30 and burned between Colorado State Highway 93 and Marshall Road near Boulder.
The religious group now under scrutiny, which idolizes sons, requires community input before people can copulate, and describes itself as an “emerging spiritual nation.” It dates back to the 1970s when it began in coffee shops in Tennessee. There are also offshoots in Europe, Australia, and South America. Each “tribe” is self-governing but adheres to similar tenets that line up with conservative ideology. Men wear long hair and beards and women’s attire is closely guarded. Of the two tribes in Colorado, one runs the popular Yellow Deli in Boulder—named after the original coffee shop where the sect began—and the other is where the burning shed is located.
Twelve Tribes: The Church Preached Child Abuse & Slavery
“We are a confederation of twelve self-governing tribes, made up of self-governing communities,” the group’s website states. “By community, we mean families and single people who live together in homes and on farms. We are disciples of the Son of God, whom we call by His Hebrew name Yahshua.”
The sect has historical roots in racism and homophobia, and has been investigated for its treatment of children, according to local news reports. Members are not allowed to be employed independently but work on communal farms that provide food for the families who live together.
In 2018, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report warned the sect was potentially dangerous. “Beneath the surface lies a tangle of doctrine that teaches its followers that slavery was ‘a marvelous opportunity’ for Black people, who are deemed by the Bible to be servants of whites, and that homosexuals deserve no less than death,” the group wrote in a report. “While homosexuals are shunned by the Twelve Tribes (though ex-members say the group brags about unnamed members who are “formerly” gay), the group actively proselytizes to African Americans, yet one of its Black leaders glorifies the early Ku Klux Klan.”
The report also said the sect tried to “keep its extremist teachings on race from novice members and outsiders,” though interviews with former members who escaped say the teachings were disturbing “especially for Black members, who must reconcile the appalling teachings on race with their own heritage and skin colour.”
Police have not ruled out that arson sparked the deadly blaze, but they did carry out a search warrant reportedly tied to the Twelve Tribe land. It is unclear whether the burning shed was thought to be where the fire began, as some witnesses have reported, or was consumed by fire as the blaze ripped through the tribal land. Investigators have ruled out downed electrical wires as the cause of the fire. Heavy snowfall that now covers much of the burned area has hindered the investigation.
Pelle addressed images on social media of the burning shed. “The fire originated somewhere in that neighborhood,” he said during the Monday press conference. “There was a viral video that was posted of a shed on fire. We don’t know that that shed started the fire or whether it was secondary.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said it may take months to determine the true cause of the extensive blaze. “What’s most important is getting it right,” Polis said Monday. “So, whether it takes a week, a month, or two months, getting it right is the most important.”
Subject: Re: Obi--Boulder Fires Tue Jan 04, 2022 8:50 pm
The drone youtube I posted above-- I watched it full screen it was breathe taking-- absolute nothing left but basement walls-- Amazing what a fire can do--wipe you out 100% destroyed. That drone should get awards, for sure..
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