Red Cross volunteer from Brunswick County going to Colorado for wildfire response

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Tens of thousands of Coloradans driven from their neighborhoods by a wind-whipped wildfire anxiously waited to learn what was left standing of their lives Friday as authorities reported more than 500 homes were feared destroyed.

Charles “Chuck” Thurlow (Photo: Red Cross)

In response, the American Red Cross is deploying volunteers including one from Brunswick County. The organization says Charles “Chuck” Thurlow will head to Colorado on Saturday and will be working with logistical operations.

The Red Cross says Thurlow has served as a Red Cross volunteer for 14 years and has served as disaster responder in nearly 30 disaster responses in NC and across the country – including hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and wildfires.

Without significant warning on Thursday, a wildfire quickly destroyed hundreds of homes in just hours. The American Red Cross is responding there, where thousands of people have had to leave their neighborhoods.

Spurred by strong winds, the fire spread very quickly. Many are without power and gas, leaving them without heat in single digit temperatures and facing a winter storm warning.