As wind gusts blew at hurricane strength, an horrific wildfire near Boulder, Colorado raced across swaths of land the size of football fields in mere seconds, devouring hundreds of homes and prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
The governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, described the fire, which erupted on the day before New Year's Eve, as "a force of nature." But this blaze has actually seemed quite unnatural. That's because it has occurred at the foot of some of the highest mountains in North America one month into meteorological winter — long after the fire season typically is brought to end in these parts by cold temperatures and snowfall. Moreover, wildfires have typically ravaged forested mountain areas, not densely populated cities and suburban subdivision out on the grassy plains.
With that in mind, maybe this blaze would be more appropriately described as a "force of humankind."
Long-term ...
