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President Joe Biden and first lady Jill arrived in Colorado on Friday afternoon to view the aftermath of a rare winter wildfire that ripped through two towns close to Denver last week, leaving thousands of people homeless.
Two people were missing and feared dead after the blaze ripped through 1000 buildings ahead of New Year's Eve, forcing 35,000 people to flee and causing $513 million of damage.
Biden is expected to talk about the federal relief funds made available for victims in the fire.
The prairie grass fire in Boulder County, on the northern outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area, scorched over 6,000 acres, officials said, with flames at times devouring football field-size stretches of drought-parched landscape in seconds.
Biden first toured the Harper Lake neighborhood of Louisville, passing the charred remains of homes.
He met Gov Jared Polis and other officials who have overseen the recovery effort and spoke to families affected by the blaze.
Before leaving the White House, he described the destruction as 'god-awful.'
