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Post by queenzod on Dec 31, 2021 0:59:26 GMT
We’re in the middle of a situation & could use some good thoughts. 100+ mph winds all day, knocking down power lines and starting grass fires all through the county. We’ve lost 600 homes in a matter of 5-6 hours, many still burning. Many more likely to burn. A friend of mine has lost her home and I can’t get a hold of her. This is such a disaster. The little town of Superior has basically burned down in an afternoon. Tens of thousands of folks evacuated, shopping centers and hotels burning. We’ve had no moisture in 4 months so everything is bone dry on the grasslands and going up in seconds. Too much fire for firefighters to deal with. Dozens of homes burning at once on one street. They had to evacuate an entire hospital. No sign of the terrible winds abating.
Crap is blowing around, stuff hitting my house all day, things banging and the house shuddering and shaking. Most destructive fires in Colo history. I’m safe for now, this is taking place about 10 miles southeast of me but I’ll probably be up all night in case the winds shift.
The wind is ushering in a cool front and we’re supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow starting tomorrow morning. It can’t get here fast enough!
What a terrible end to a terrible year. 😭
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Post by Hannah Lee on Dec 31, 2021 1:47:21 GMT
Oh, queenzod I’m so sorry you’re going through that!
It sounds awful.
Sending you good thoughts and prayers.
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Post by roverpup on Dec 31, 2021 4:13:51 GMT
Sounds horrific QZ! I just came here and read your account. Here's hoping the cool front has moved by now and brought some relief to you and your battered community. Stay as safe as you can and let us know how things are when you can. I'm sending positive thoughts your way, my friend!
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Post by llminnowpea on Dec 31, 2021 13:04:44 GMT
How are things this morning? Thinking of you and those around you!
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Post by mllemass on Dec 31, 2021 13:39:38 GMT
I’m thinking of you, too!
If you can, check in here once in a while to let us know how you’re doing.
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Post by queenzod on Dec 31, 2021 13:40:39 GMT
Hey. I’m exhausted. The winds kept up until about 4 am, so that’s wearing. Everyone is waiting for the sun to come up to see the damage, and then the snow will move in, which will be very welcome in putting out the rest of the fires. I’m thinking maybe 1000 homes burned yesterday, but we’ll know more soon. The fires got into these tightly packed subdivisions and went house to house very quickly. 35,000 evacuated. Just a shocking experience for my community. Good news is that in a large doggy day care which burned they managed to save all the animals. So that’s good.
Thanks for all your kind thoughts! I’m very grateful my home was spared.
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Post by queenzod on Jan 2, 2022 15:22:21 GMT
Thanks for asking jbc! The pictures are incredible, aren’t they?
The whole thing seems quite unreal and it’s difficult to wrap my mind around it, frankly. I think the last count was 990 homes lost, 3 people missing. We’re more used to wildfires here, forest fires in remote areas. Last year there was a wildfire that burned for 3 months 10 miles north of my house. That’s the kind of fires we’re used to. Not this fast moving grassfire.
People assumed the high winds knocked down a power line and started the blaze, but get this. Excel (our power company) says they “checked” the area and there are no downed power lines. I don’t believe them and I think they’re just covering their asses in case of lawsuits. I’m probably wrong, though, but my suspicions are up.
We got about 8 inches of snow which has tamped down all the smoldering and is very welcome!
My friend is okay. Devastated over the loss of her home, obviously. She lost everything; it burned down to the foundation. So she’s staying with her son who lives up in Ft. Collins.
Thanks again for asking, hon. 🤗
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Post by queenzod on Jan 2, 2022 17:29:47 GMT
Someone on Nextdoor this morning said she’s moving to New Zealand in a few months and fire victims are welcome to the contents of her house! Many people offering lodging, large animal boarding, pots and pans, etc. so nice to see good people stepping in to help. 🥲
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Post by ellie on Jan 3, 2022 16:24:03 GMT
Just read your posts QZ. I’m really sorry to hear about all you’ve been through. It must have been truly horrendous. I actually logged on to ask how you were doing because I was talking to a friend of mine earlier who’s sister lives in Colorado and she told me they very narrowly escaped losing their house. They were all set to evacuate but then the snow came and spared them. She must live somewhere around your location.
ETA: Does insurance cover the damage to properties or are they not covered due to being in an area where forest fires are likely?
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Post by queenzod on Jan 3, 2022 19:20:21 GMT
Insurance should cover the damage. I think if it’s a flood then it’s not covered by your regular homeowners policy and you need to get different, special flood insurance, so you have to have several insurance policies.
But I’m reminded of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans when the levees failed, flooding the wards that were below sea level and destroying all those homes. Insurance companies refused to pay out because they classified the damage as flood related when the originating cause was a hurricane. So I’ve been wondering if they’ll classify this as an Act of God and refuse to pay out. Insurance companies will weasel out of anything if they can.
Today I’ve been wondering how you even begin to cart away the burned wreckage of 1,000 homes. I mean, where do you put it? And it’s full of burned plastics and other noxious chemicals. You can’t just dig a pit and pile it all in there. Or maybe you can - I don’t know, lol.
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