Jan. 1 (UPI) — At least three people are missing and nearly 1,000 structures have been destroyed as the 6,000-acre Marshall Fire swept across Colorado on Saturday.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said the three missing people were feared dead and would likely be the only fatalities related to the blaze during a news conference on Saturday.
“We unfortunately believe these are going to turn into recovery cases,” Pelle said. “The structures where these folks would be are completely destroyed.”
The identities of the three people were not immediately released but Pelle said two were located in Superior, while the other was in the Marshall area.
A total of 991 structures have been destroyed and 106 homes damaged in the fire, Pelle said.
In Louisville 553 homes were destroyed and 45 more were damaged, while 332 homes were destroyed and 60 damaged in Superior, along with another 106 homes destroyed and 22 homes damaged in unincorporated Boulder County.
Thousands of people were evacuated due to the threat of the blaze but some residents in areas under a “soft closure” were allowed to return home on Saturday.
