Overnight snow finally extinguished the most destructive wildfires in Colorado. But the several inches of snow now blanketing the region create some other challenges, such as pipes freezing, the search for missing people, crime scene investigation, restoration work and damage assessment.

The fires, which sprung up dramatically on Thursday, were extinguished by snowfall that began on Friday afternoon and lasted overnight into Saturday. The fire has burned through more than 24 square kilometers in a suburban area between Denver and Boulder.

According to a local official, nearly 1,000 homes have been destroyed, and three people are missing and presumed dead.

Four of Colorado's five largest fires have occurred in the last four years, according to state records. December wildfires are unusual in Colorado; the state's fire season typically spans from May through September. But the Denver area has seen particularly dry conditions throughout the fall, including a historic lack of snowfall, according to The Washington Post.

The authorities are still investigating what sparked the blaze.

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