“We’re lucky we don’t have a list of 100 missing persons,” Boulder City Police Chief Joe Pelle said at a news conference. He added that the search for the three missing persons is difficult. “The buildings where these people are supposed to be have been completely destroyed and covered by a twenty centimeter layer of snow.”
Contrary to previous reports, the fire was not caused by disconnected power lines, the police chief said. An investigation is still underway into how the forest fire started.
At least 33,000 people received evacuation orders on Thursday after the blaze, sparked by winds of about 100 miles per hour, started. The authorities have since been able to withdraw all their orders. People with respiratory problems are strongly advised to stay indoors and close windows and doors, because the snow and wind keep the smoke from the burning and smoldering vegetation close to the ground.