http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39038990/ns/weather/
BOULDER, Colo. — The number of homes destroyed by a wildfire ripping through foothills near Boulder has hit 136, authorities said Wednesday.
Authorities provided the dire assessment as firefighters encountered a tangle of rattlesnakes, downed power lines and combustible propane tanks and struggled to get an upper hand on the inferno. The Boulder County sheriff's office said Wednesday that 136 homes have been destroyed — a toll likely to rise as the blaze rages on and firefighters get a clearer picture of the damage.
About 3,500 people have been evacuated from about 1,000 homes stemming from a fire that broke out in a parched area near of Boulder on Monday. Four people remain missing as some residents have stayed behind and risked their lives to try to save their homes.
No deaths or injuries have been reported at this point, and the cause of the fire was not known.
The fire west of Boulder is not large in terms of size — only about 6,200 acres, or about 10 square miles. But it struck in a populated area that inflicted major property damage.
The reported loss of homes surpasses that of the 2002 Hayman fire in southern Colorado that was the most destructive in the state's history. That fire destroyed 133 homes and 466 outbuildings over 138,000 acres in a more sparsely populated area that includes national forest land.
Sheriff's Cmdr. Rich Brough said Wednesday that 20 people were initially reported as missing. Authorities later said the number had been reduced to four. It's unclear if the missing were in homes that have been destroyed or had just not checked in with friends and family.
"Even if you go to the house and it's burned down," Brough said, "you're not going to be able to tell if someone's in it. That will take an investigation."
Firefighters said mapping now shows the blaze had burned 6,168 acres, or about 9½ square miles. The fire was still zero percent contained.
No injuries have been reported. The cause is still under investigation.
Crews on Wednesday continued to battle the blaze as well as other obstacles: downed power lines, propane tanks that could explode, rattlesnakes, steep terrain and poison ivy.
About 3,500 people have been evacuated from about 1,000 homes since the fire broke out Monday.
Air tankers dumped 35,000 gallons of fire retardant on the blaze and crews began building containment lines on the eastern side of the fire. The large plume of smoke the fire had been producing since it started Monday dissipated because of the favorable weather. However, the fire was still actively burning and threatening structures, forcing some deputies doing an inventory of the damage to retreat.
At the Colorado Mountain Ranch, 60-year-old Mike Walker has been making a stand against the fire with his wife and 25-year-old daughter in a desperate effort to save the children's summer camp and outdoor recreation center they operate.
it is a record? or does more things need to burn down.
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