(Bloomberg) — Thousands of people have evacuated towns outside Boulder, Colorado, after hurricane-force gusts ripped down power lines, sparking several grass fires.
The wind gusts reached as high as 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour, according to the National Weather Service. Officials ordered residents in the towns of Superior and Louisville, which have a combined population of 33,000, to flee.
“If you are in Louisville, this is a life threatening situation. Leave Now!,” the National Weather Service said on Twitter.
Radar images from the weather service showed a plume of smoke that stretched for more than 70 miles.
More than 47,000 homes and businesses across the state are without power, according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks utility outages.
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