奇速英语

美国丹佛市区附近发生城市野火，损失惨重

Urban wildfires north of Denver that spread in what Gov. Jared Polis called “the blink of an eye” and destroyed at least 500 homes are largely contained in a short time. That’s according to local and state officials who spoke at a Friday morning meeting.There are no reports of fatalities from the fires that burned an estimated 6,000 acres in Boulder County.

“There are still areas burning inside the fire zone,” said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, “but we’re not expecting to see any growth in the fire.” Pelle said the snowfall that’s begun in the area “will certainly help our efforts.” Polis flew over the affected areas Friday morning and described what he called fires that “hit close to home for so many of us.” “This wasn’t a wildfire in the forest,” he said. “It was a suburban and urban fire that was a disaster in fast motion happening in course of half a day.”

Many residents “lost everything, all their belongings, their home and had no more than a moment’s notice essentially to flee their homes, some with only the clothes on their back because of the way that these flames spread,” Neguse said. “So just unprecedented(前所未有的) destruction, and it’s going to be a long road to recovery for our community.” “Many families had minutes to get whatever they could, their pets, their kids into the car and leave,” Polis said. “The last 24 hours have been devastating, but we might have our very own New Year’s miracle on our hands if it holds up that there was no loss of life.”

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated. Polis said temporary emergency shelters are housing “about 200 people,” while many others sought refuge with friends or in other areas. Pelle said he knows that residents want to return to their homes “as soon as possible to assess damage.” But, he said, in many of those neighborhoods that are currently blocked off, it’s still too dangerous to return.