Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village on Thursday near Broomfield, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
BOULDER COUNTY, CO — Tens of thousands of Coloradans were driven from their homes this week as the wind-fueled Marshall Fire threatened the existence of many of their communities. Three people were reported missing.
Nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed, according to local authorities. A hotel and shopping center in the northern town of Superior were also incinerated.
The blaze erupted Thursday just outside of Denver and has "swept over drought-stricken neighborhoods with terrifying speed, propelled by gusts up to 105 mph," The AP reported. Many residents had only minutes to evacuate.
Find out what's happening in Boulderfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
See devastating photos of the Colorado wildfires below.
Debris surrounds the remains of homes burned by wildfires after they ripped through a development in Superior, Colorado. Tens of thousands of Coloradans were driven from their neighborhoods by wind-whipped wildfires this week. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Flames leap from a fence near the remains of homes burned by wildfires after they ripped through a development in Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village on Thursday Thursday near Broomfield, Colorado. An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fueled wildfires outside Denver, officials said Thursday night. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)The frame for a burned trampoline stands in the yard near the remains of homes burned by wildfires after they ripped through a development near Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Shoppers leave Flatiron Crossing Mall on Thursday as a wildfire burns near Broomfield, Colorado. Homes surrounding the Flatiron Crossing mall were being evacuated as wildfires raced through the grasslands as high winds raked the intermountain West. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Residents fight the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Colorado, on Thursday as fire crews worked through the night battling the blaze that had destroyed more than 500 home in Boulder County. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village on Thursday near Broomfield, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Debris surrounds the remains of homes burned by wildfires after they ripped through a development in Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)A burned car sits in front of a smoldering home Friday in Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)
Find out what's happening in Boulderfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A resident asses the damage to homes in his neighborhood in Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)Smoke hangs as wildfires burned near a small shopping center in Broomfield, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Firefighters spray water on a structure fire as a wildfire burns Thursday near Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zelio)Dan Bruder walks past burned homes in his neighborhood in Superior, Colorado. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)Smoke from a wildfire rises in the background Thursday in Superior, Colorado. All 13,000 residents of the northern Colorado town were ordered to evacuate Thursday because of a wildfire driven by strong winds. (AP Photo/David Zelio)
