Marshall Fire in Superior CO

[Batteriesnare]

Just saw on the news there's several grass fires with the strong winds up in Superior. Be safe all!

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/wildfire/multiple-grass-fires-break-out-in-boulder-county-amid-strong-winds

[Doc45]

Fire is totally out of control, incredibly strong winds, Superior is under immeditate evacuation orders, have a friend headed to my home now. Hope anyone impacted gets through this ok, so sad. Snow/moisture can't get hit quick enough.

[hollohas]

https://twitter.com/jerichoreport/status/1476653418248822788?s=10

[hollohas]

https://twitter.com/EricEnglish777/status/1476668963392212994

[00tec]

We have some pretty good smoke out here. I can smell it indoors. A friend 7mi West of here had ash falling

[fitz19d]

Fire asking police door to door as structures imminent to go up with people oblivious inside. Some houses going up

https://m.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/591

[hollohas]

Kdvr has live footage with the fire actively spotting in multiple directions.

[Gman]

Wow. You guys stay safe. It's kinda' hard for me to wrap my brain around that since we've been dealing with extreme cold and snow in the PNW for several days now.

[00tec]

I went to the truck to get some rape tape to seal my dog door and about hacked up a lung. That's a lot of smoke, real fast. And I'm 40 miles out

[00tec]

The 911 calls because the power is out, and therefore people can't open the garage are interesting. Guess nobody knows what the string hanging from the ceiling is.

[hollohas]

This is nuts.

https://twitter.com/DillonMThomas/status/1476667652542119938

[wctriumph]

Louisville is burning 🔥

[hollohas]

People evacuating Costco a bit ago.

https://twitter.com/Hunthk11/status/1476665433361039382

[hollohas]

West Metro Fire radio scanner has talk of possible smoke at Kipling and C470, engine in route.

[SideShow Bob]

The 911 calls because the power is out, and therefore people can't open the garage are interesting. Guess nobody knows what the string hanging from the ceiling is.

If you are smart, you remove that rope & handle so no one jimmies your garage open and steal you blind.
Of course I put a stiff wire hook next to the door to the house and showed the wife what to do in case the power went out.

[fitz19d]

Wish I could help, scanner chaos. Lots of need for horse trailers. Besides people I feel torn up for all the animals at home. Birds even without a fire could be dropping from this much smoke. No power wiping out saltwater aquariums etc

[hollohas]

More crazy video from Costco earlier.

Fire literally in the parking lot when people evacd

https://twitter.com/Thoff821/status/1476646884206800914

[mpatch]

Wow. You guys stay safe. It's kinda' hard for me to wrap my brain around that since we've been dealing with extreme cold and snow in the PNW for several days now.

I haven?t had more than .1? of precipitation in a day since early September. Been warm a super dry.

[ray1970]

I could see the smoke from Fort Morgan. It is crazy.

[00tec]

If you are smart, you remove that rope & handle so no one jimmies your garage open and steal you blind.
Of course I put a stiff wire hook next to the door to the house and showed the wife what to do in case the power went out.

If you're that smart, you know how to unfuck it so you can leave.

[hollohas]

Confirmed structure fires.

https://twitter.com/bschick32/status/1476695499814182919

[hollohas]

Avista hospital being evacuated.

https://twitter.com/CenturaHealth/status/1476693719428603907

[eddiememphis]

Just saw it on the news. That's scary.

I have thought about this happening as I drive through some neighborhoods where the home are built so close together.

I am curious how they are going to spin this one as my fault... you know- the evil white middle-aged American male.

[hollohas]

View from inside Avista Hospital.

https://twitter.com/bschick32/status/1476695006643695618

[hollohas]

Real time view of the fire approaching a home a couple hours ago. It's crazy how fast it moved it!

https://twitter.com/wendybco/status/1476689557231792141

[Eric P]

Morons on facebook are praising the fire for cleansing covid in conservative enclaves.

Wow. I've never thought that grass fires could do this much damage to a subdivision. Will probably have a code change in the future with fire breaks and fire resistant building materials.

[ray1970]

Morons on facebook are praising the fire for cleansing covid in conservative enclaves.



There are conservative enclaves in Boulder county?

[mpatch]

If you're that smart, you know how to unfuck it so you can leave.

Or just drive through the damn thing if you can?t figure it out.

[Eric P]

Or just drive through the damn thing if you can?t figure it out.

Yes. I can't believe how so many lack basic problem solving skills these days. Dumbed down by modern conviences?

[hollohas]

Element Hotel.

Some reports coming out of hundreds of homes lost already. Could be 500 per Boulder County Sheriff.

https://twitter.com/elephantboulder/status/1476704419265888259

[eddiememphis]

Morons on facebook are praising the fire for cleansing covid in conservative enclaves..

Shit! I forgot about the dirty purebloods!

I thought they were going to blame climate change, religion and capitalism, with maybe a Trump tossed in for old time's sake.

[eddiememphis]

500-600 homes destroyed?!?

Wow

[Eric P]

Possible blown down power lines as the trigger for the fire... sounds like another state... even more so Kalifornia east...

[hollohas]

Looks like it's expected to shift south.

https://twitter.com/BroomfieldPD/status/1476710340910100487

[hollohas]

https://twitter.com/SamBoik/status/1476711967607853064

[BushMasterBoy]

I can host 1 horse if any member needs help. PM me if needed.

[hatidua]

Shit! I forgot about the dirty purebloods!

I thought they were going to blame climate change, religion and capitalism, with maybe a Trump tossed in for old time's sake.

I'm not positive, but there may be better times for that sort of thing. Maybe.

[BushMasterBoy]

Denver-Boulder Turn Pike should suspend fees for now. They do this in Florida when there is a hurricane approaching. This conflagration could come into the Metro area, if the state .gov is watching.

[00tec]

My place isn't fenced, but I can house a dog or two if needed. Fenced in back yard for them. Can store trailers, campers, etc.

We could probably assemble a corral or something for a big critter. Just have to figure out panels

[Osmosis]

Waiting game now. We are (were) in old town Louisville. Not near open spaces. Fingers crossed.

[MrPrena]

I was near 144th and I25 around 3pm (Cabelas) and I can easily smell the burn.

I just saw the update on the news and it is seriously tragic.

[Ah Pook]

There are conservative enclaves in Boulder county?

My thought too.

This is scary! I've been through a couple of forest fires but this moving so fast...

[mpatch]

If anybody needs a place for whatever I have room.
horses, campers, trailers, pets or people

I'm about 30 min north.

[MrPrena]

Did fire spread to east of 36?

[Osmosis]

Did fire spread to east of 36?

Yes

[hollohas]

https://twitter.com/_rgski/status/1476720898178576385

[hollohas]

Denver-Boulder Turn Pike should suspend fees for now. They do this in Florida when there is a hurricane approaching. This conflagration could come into the Metro area, if the state .gov is watching.They closed it hours ago.

[sniper7]

If anyone has larger animals and hasn’t been able to find a place I can support some larger animals on my property. Feel free to reach out via PM

plenty of room for trailers, campers, as well.

[hollohas]

https://twitter.com/AndySteinWx/status/1476722606493605888

[Joe_K]

Praying the winds stop, and the rain starts. Stay safe out there folks.

[BPTactical]

If anybody is displaced we can put up a couple folks if need be.

[.455_Hunter]

All I can say is Holy Freaking Crap!

I saw the plume in Marshall from out house when it was just minutes old this morning.

My Dad called this 30 years ago when they started the massive building effort out there (Rock Creek)- "One of these days, it's all just gonna go away." He was right.

[TRnCO]

such horrific loss of personal property. So, so sad and hard to watch with a helpless feeling. Prayers for all involved. And on top of it all, the time of year. Just sad.

[DFBrews]

I'm not positive, but there may be better times for that sort of thing. Maybe.

Like.


Any members need a place to park a car keep some hens goats etc I have fencing in place

[Bailey Guns]

My thought too.

This is scary! I've been through a couple of forest fires but this moving so fast...

I've been thru about a 1/2 dozen... I've never seen anything like that. I don't know if I can help anyone but the offer's open if you think of something I can do for you. Maybe in the longer term once the immediate crisis is over.

[hollohas]

This video is from much earlier today and shows what everyone was dealing with. Just random shit catching fire everywhere...not just along the main fire line.


https://twitter.com/drewsmithvideo/status/1476659557283741697

[BPTactical]

All I can say is Holy Freaking Crap!

I saw the plume in Marshall from out house when it was just minutes old this morning.

My Dad called this 30 years ago when they started the massive building effort out there (Rock Creek)- "One of these days, it's all just gonna go away." He was right.


When you have 6-8 homes per acre…..

[hollohas]

Crazy times.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/7f31346e34e3aaafd93d6f7b98b6380e.jpg

[BushMasterBoy]

3-7 inches of snow forecast for the fire area tomorrow. Hopefully that will put the fire out.

[FoxtArt]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1FGP1I7_c1-PjyxeruFj3B3RdqZx5ElwM&ll=39.90784952929878%2C-105.08062802857164&z=13

Link to the live broomfield evac and pre-evac map.

[mahabali]

Ugh, this is heartbreaking. Lots of friends and family in the area. We are now in Fort Collins and will probably have some houseguests tonight.

[O2HeN2]

If you are smart, you remove that rope & handle so no one jimmies your garage open and steal you blind.
Of course I put a stiff wire hook next to the door to the house and showed the wife what to do in case the power went out.

Wire tie it up. That way it can't be hooked, but if you grab it and pull, the wire tie will break and the door will open.

In an emergency, the less thinking and fine motor control the better...

O2

[hollohas]

I haven't confirmed yet, but some people have posted that scanner traffic reports hydrants are running out of water in Louisville.

Would a power outage at the pump station cause that?

Anyone listening on Broadcastify confirm?

[hollohas]

View from Boulder.

And view from sky.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/42b8511fac194b100d259844c16b6ab6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/d0459d247d356c8ca7ea98f994ed6b4a.jpg

[Hummer]

https://www.coloradodaily.com/2021/12/28/woman-accused-of-starting-cu-boulder-east-campus-fire-had-prior-arson-history/


Is this suspicious? After her second arson charge this month do you suppose she got out of jail just in time to start the Middle Fork and Marshall fires in Boulder County today? Are downed powerlines a convenient excuse?

[Frac]

Smoke visible some 200 miles away.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/398a1b55c73ae21f2d96c8d2699c0330.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/e80dfd426753b8d70dbed76c347ac066.jpg

[crashdown]

Just got home and got caught up on this. Many friends in immediate area.
You guys stay safe.

[feal]

ive been following this on these sites - any better ones? sorry i dont use twitter.......

https://bouldercounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=13ab214fe2bb4da5a850df0ca0f00fc5 this was linked to the broomfield evacuations

https://data.coloradoan.com/fires/

[Punkface]

my in laws are in the evacuation area (superior) and there's literally houses in their sub division that are on fire and they refuse to evacuate because they're scared looters will come in and rob them. I'm so angry right now.

[colorider]

Took a trip with the family about 2 hours ago to a good vantage point to see the area. Went to 128 and the Interlocken area on top of a hill. It's pure carnage. Could see houses exploding into a mushroom cloud of flames. whole neighborhoods burning. Looked like a carpet bombing site. I'm currently getting my important shit packed up as I'm only a few blocks from an area in Westminster that just got their evacuation notice. I have a place in Lakewood where I can bug out.

[00tec]

This shit is terrible. Forest type fires are inevitable, but folks that buy homes in the suburbs don't usually bet on these things intentionally. Seems that they are starting to shut down some hot spots to keep the spread down at least.

Offer stands. Can accommodate up to 2 dogs, or other small animals (including fish-in a pinch), no cats, but can assemble a small corral for a big critter. Vehicles, trailers, rvs, campers, etc welcome.

[BPTactical]

If this bitch runs across the former Rocky Flats property I am sure glad I don’t live downwind.
When they were cleaning it up and trucking out waste at a meeting I went to with the contractor collateral contamination became a topic of discussion.
Fire was one of their worst fears, not only could contamination (plutonium) be released directly by the fire on the ground but it would remove ground cover which helps keep it pinned down.
Funny how the media hasn’t touched on that.

[00tec]

If this bitch runs across the former Rocky Flats property I am sure glad I don’t live downwind.
When they were cleaning it up and trucking out waste at a meeting I went to with the contractor collateral contamination became a topic of discussion.
Fire was one of their worst fears, not only could contamination (plutonium) be released directly by the fire on the ground but it would remove ground cover which helps keep it pinned down.
Funny how the media hasn’t touched on that.

More covid cases....

[BushMasterBoy]

Plutonium is about the most toxic thing on the earth. Whatever they do, the authorities have to prevent a fire on the Rocky Flats Arsenal grounds. It would be better if they have to bulldoze all the vegetation, than let it burn.

[00tec]

Plutonium is about the most toxic thing on the earth. Whatever they do, the authorities have to prevent a fire on the Rocky Flats Arsenal grounds. It would be better if they have to bulldoze all the vegetation, than let it burn.

Although, if it burned, it's not their fault

[hollohas]

Here's the boundary from Inciweb.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/9dc9384fd535f85b46b103b28e168511.jpg

[BPTactical]

I know we have members who live in the area and with family in the area.
I sincerely hope all are safe and properties are intact.

[JethroBodine]

I want to thank all of you that offered to help. There are several ranchers in that area with cattle and horses. I did see a caravan of horse trailers on the news so hopefully they got as many out as possible, maybe some of you were in that caravan. We had to evacuate my Mother in Law from Louisville and start Pre-Evacuation where I live in Lafayette. I could see the fire from my house which was a little too close for my liking. It made me realize I've got too much stuff. I'll probably have a Fire Sale in the near future, lol.
Stay Safe!

[StagLefty]

Just looked at the evac map and my son's place is in it. Must have included it after I went to bed. He's in South Dakota until Sunday.

[theGinsue]

I know we have members who live in the area and with family in the area.
I sincerely hope all are safe and properties are intact.

Perfectly stated.

I've been trying to think of something meaningful to say, or offer, to our members who are effected by this horrific event but nothing I could come up with came off as anything more than platitudes.

This event is terrible and many peoples lives are being destroyed by it. If there is anything we as a site, or I as an individual can do to help, please let us know.

[Starbuck]

BOCO Sheriff Joe Pelle is holding a presser this morning at 1000.

https://www.boulderoem.com/summary-of-wildfire-emergency-information/

I live near 95th & Arapahoe about 4-5 mi NE of the evac zone so my house is safe. Very hard to see such devastation.

[DDT951]

I have an extra room in my house if anyone from the Marshall fire is in need.

[Wulf202]

If you have insurance questions about homeowners, commercial or personal property, I'll do what I can to help.

[hollohas]

Some aftermath.

https://twitter.com/bclemms/status/1476921494617747457

[KAPA]

I have not really watched much local news the last 5 or 6 years. Local news has been leaning left for years but once Trump became politically popular they basically became local CNN affiliates. At any rate, like many in the area I watched the local channels yesterday, 4, 7, 9, 31, to try and get info and holy smokes I didn't expect to get a dose of liberalism thrown at me during an emergency situation. Lots of subtle digs at conservative ideas, blaming global warming, and clearly republicans are to blame for all this.

Weatherman Mike Nelson made sure and directly blame Global Warming and fossil fuels for this thing, while Karen's favorite soy boy Kyle Clark claims that thankfully we now have sane politicians in charge and we should rest assured that they will lead the recovery efforts.

It used to be that real news was exempt from the spin, at least in emergency situations while they were happening... Guess those days are loooong gone!

[hollohas]

9news was awful yesterday especially. Dumb dumb weather guy who's been on there forever (Ed Greene I think) was watching it roll through Superior around 3pm and said, and I'm paraphrasing slightly, "the good news is this is moving so fast and hot. It's so fast it's just going to burn through the grass and keep moving. It won't burn long enough anywhere to burn the houses."

My jaw dropped when he said that. The level of stupidity in that statement is mind-blowing.

[.455_Hunter]

I have not really watched much local news the last 5 or 6 years. Local news has been leaning left for years but once Trump became politically popular they basically became local CNN affiliates. At any rate, like many in the area I watched the local channels yesterday, 4, 7, 9, 31, to try and get info and holy smokes I didn't expect to get a dose of liberalism thrown at me during an emergency situation. Lots of subtle digs at conservative ideas, blaming global warming, and clearly republicans are to blame for all this.

Weatherman Mike Nelson made sure and directly blame Global Warming and fossil fuels for this thing, while Karen's favorite soy boy Kyle Clark claims that thankfully we now have sane politicians in charge and we should rest assured that they will lead the recovery efforts.

It used to be that real news was exempt from the spin, at least in emergency situations while they were happening... Guess those days are loooong gone!

We had a wet spring / early summer, and a dry late summer / fall, making for extensive desiccated vegetarian. Dry dormant grass burns not matter who is in the White House, especially in a Colorado wind storm. Prairie fires happen, and there is not a lot you can do about it without drastic building code changes. Maybe building urban canyons out of 2x4's and particle board isn't such a good idea in dry high wind areas.

[KAPA]

We had a wet spring / early summer, and a dry late summer / fall, making for extensive desiccated vegetarian. Dry dormant grass burns not matter who is in the White House, especially in a Colorado wind storm. Prairie fires happen, and there is not a lot you can do about it without drastic building code changes. Maybe building urban canyons out of 2x4's and particle board isn't such a good idea in dry high wind areas.

Bingo!

I took one of those Environmental Sciences classes up at CU years ago, it was one of those classes full of Green Peace hippy types and we went around campus studying the different types of vegetation and then compared that with photos from the 1870s. Boulder didn't have any trees back then. For the most part everything you see up there today has all been planted by humans. Back in the 1800s, fires every few decades kept that area naturally clear. The more development and people living here, the more fuel is created making that inevitable fire much bigger than what would naturally occur. The big take away was at some point in the future there will be a huge fire, bigger than anything that would naturally occur, and it will rage from Boulder down to Denver and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Well here we are, if not for the wind stopping and the snow coming this thing would still be raging.

Knowing we we knew from that class, you would think they would not approve building houses 10 feet apart and so many non natural trees. All those trees may as well have been huge matchsticks. Another thing I noticed was the wooden privacy fences that every HOA requires acted as a huge source of fuel. Cities and developers love cramming houses in as many as possible so they can get more taxes. I see this now in Castle Rock, no one is building neighborhoods with acreage, its all homes 10 feet apart. Same thing will happen down here some day.

[BPTactical]

It's difficult to prevent grass fires, because it doesn't take much to start it burning in a low RH situation. Here is a resource to check out. https://www.nps.gov/articles/understanding-fire-danger.htm#:~:text=A%20fuel%E2%80%99s%20timelag%20 is%20the%20time%20necessary%20for,plants%20or%20ro und%20wood%20less%20than%201%2F4%22%20diameter.

Dead fuels in NFDRS have four time lag classes:

1 hour—Fine flashy fuels, dried herbaceous plants or round wood less than 1/4" diameter. Also includes the uppermost layer of litter on the forest floor. Responds quickly to weather changes. Moisture in these fuels varies greatly throughout the calendar day and is principally responsible for diurnal changes in fire danger. It is computed from observation, time, temperature, humidity and cloudiness.
10 hour—Round wood 3/4" to 1" diameterand the layer of litter that extends to 3" to 4" below the surface. Moisture in these fuels is computed from observation, time, temperature, humidity, and cloudiness, or may be a standard set of "10-Hr Fuel Sticks" that are weighed as part of the fire weather observation.
100 hour—1" to 3" diameter.Moisture in these fuels is computed from 24 hour average boundary condition composed of day length, hours of rain, and daily temperature and humidity ranges.
1000 hour—3" to 6" diameter.Moisture in these fuels is computed from a 7-day average boundary condition composed of day length, hours of rain, and daily temperature and humidity ranges.
Live Fuel Moisture


Thanks for posting that HBAR. It is a tremendous tool for gauging fire risk.

[hollohas]

Wildfires are absolutely shocking.

I drove my girlfriend (now wife) back to her home in Trout Creek the day Hwy 67 opened after the Hayman Fire. I think they had been evacuated for 4 weeks or something. (There was another fire that had them evacuated the week before too. Only got back to their house for a couple days before they had to evac for Hayman).

In any case, the scene will forever be in my mind. It's was absolutely surreal. Purely apocalyptic. All that was left for a couple miles leading up to her neighborhood was white/gray ground, rocks and smoking holes of what used to be trees. Literally nothing else. Even the stumps and underground ROOTS had burned to nothing. Most of the holes in the ground still had smoke coming out of them like some sort of mini volcano vents. Some still had dancing flames peeking out of the holes as we drove by.

Many of the homes in the neighborhood had burned. Hers fortunately didn't because their entire 5 acres had been thoroughly grazed. The fire burned up their fence line and stopped. However the smoke smell in their house and smell of rotted food from the fridge was hard to clear for some time.

The homes were all rebuilt and they don't have to worry about fire too much even now almost 20 years later.

Praying for the folks in Superior and Louisville. What they are going through is extremely hard and will be with them forever. Even more so because of the speed that this happened. They didn't have time to prepare themselves emotionally like folks had in many of the large fires in the past.

[Ramsker]

I have not really watched much local news the last 5 or 6 years. Local news has been leaning left for years but once Trump became politically popular they basically became local CNN affiliates. At any rate, like many in the area I watched the local channels yesterday, 4, 7, 9, 31, to try and get info and holy smokes I didn't expect to get a dose of liberalism thrown at me during an emergency situation. Lots of subtle digs at conservative ideas, blaming global warming, and clearly republicans are to blame for all this.

Weatherman Mike Nelson made sure and directly blame Global Warming and fossil fuels for this thing, while Karen's favorite soy boy Kyle Clark claims that thankfully we now have sane politicians in charge and we should rest assured that they will lead the recovery efforts.

It used to be that real news was exempt from the spin, at least in emergency situations while they were happening... Guess those days are loooong gone!

I had to turn Nelson off when he started with that garbage. Like it's never been dry and incredibly windy in CO until now.

Hope all who are in the area or have family in the area are safe. Can't imagine going through that.

[hollohas]

Driest 2nd half of the year on record by far. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211231/d5d569e6ef8f0b4c72597397dc903df0.jpg

[Delfuego]

Friends house today, picture of the front porch

88983

Picture from the front porch

88984

[Ramsker]

Damn . . . that's pretty sobering. Tornadoes and fires are just crazy with how very little distance there can be between total destruction and not a scratch.

[Delfuego]

Agreed. Truly crazy.
Know some others staying with family and still waiting to find out what happened what happened to their home.

[00tec]

Bingo!

I took one of those Environmental Sciences classes up at CU years ago, it was one of those classes full of Green Peace hippy types and we went around campus studying the different types of vegetation and then compared that with photos from the 1870s. Boulder didn't have any trees back then. For the most part everything you see up there today has all been planted by humans. Back in the 1800s, fires every few decades kept that area naturally clear. The more development and people living here, the more fuel is created making that inevitable fire much bigger than what would naturally occur. The big take away was at some point in the future there will be a huge fire, bigger than anything that would naturally occur, and it will rage from Boulder down to Denver and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Well here we are, if not for the wind stopping and the snow coming this thing would still be raging.

Knowing we we knew from that class, you would think they would not approve building houses 10 feet apart and so many non natural trees. All those trees may as well have been huge matchsticks. Another thing I noticed was the wooden privacy fences that every HOA requires acted as a huge source of fuel. Cities and developers love cramming houses in as many as possible so they can get more taxes. I see this now in Castle Rock, no one is building neighborhoods with acreage, its all homes 10 feet apart. Same thing will happen down here some day.

About 5 years ago, I believe I helped someone's home from burning. A grass fire started a little NE of DIA because of some asshole playing with tannerite and gasoline. The FD was parked on a hill, watching. Their log pole fence was engulfed. I hiked 2x 5 gallon buckets at a time frim next door (about 200 yards) to help put it out. Their newly planted trees were all on fire. Not sure how much water I carried that day, but my shoes were melted. It took several trips just to put down the hot spots in the tree mulch down.

Still don't know who they are. They were my buddy's ex-wife's neighbors that were out of town. Some of their siding melted, but the house and doggos were fine.

[Hummer]

For those who watched the press conference this morning you might have caught the question about the cause of the fire. The Sheriff's reply alluded to the ongoing investigation looking at all possible causes beyond downed power lines. His demeanor suggested to me that it could well be that an arsonist caused the billion dollar fire.

The power has been out on our NW Boulder county mountain homes for more than 12 hours. No doubt we're low priority on the repair list. I'm away from home but have family and a friend setting up auxiliary heat to keep the water systems from freezing. It could get to minus 4 degrees and drop a foot of snow there tonight.

[wctriumph]

I have been watching the various news channels all night and this morning, really devastating what is being shown.
Prayers for those affected and for the men and women that fought to bring this catastrophe to the end.

[.455_Hunter]

For those who watched the press conference this morning you might have caught the question about the cause of the fire. The Sheriff's reply alluded to the ongoing investigation looking at all possible causes beyond downed power lines. His demeanor suggested to me that it could well be that an arsonist caused the billion dollar fire.

The power has been out on our NW Boulder county mountain homes for more than 12 hours. No doubt we're low priority on the repair list. I'm away from home but have family and a friend setting up auxiliary heat to keep the water systems from freezing. It could get to minus 4 degrees and drop a foot of snow there tonight.

I saw the plume out of our kitchen window when it first started. Though we are miles away, it looked to be exactly at the Marshall Rd. / Hwy 93 interchange, a location that has experienced issues with power lines arcing/failing before. But yes, a burning wad of paper towels could have just as easily been the source.

Please stay safe up there!

[Hummer]

I saw the plume out of our kitchen window when it first started. Though we are miles away, it looked to be exactly at the Marshall Rd. / Hwy 93 interchange, a location that has experienced issues with power lines arcing/failing before. But yes, a burning wad of paper towels could have just as easily been the source.

Please stay safe up there!


I'd guess you have an expansive view, one deserving of a good spotting scope. One factor that won't be mentioned is that the open space properties that finger throughout the county provide pathways for fire just as happened from Marshall Creek all the way into the Rock Creek subdivision that burned in Superior. I doubt that fire mitigation is a part of any open space planning on the plains. Of course, minimal fire barrier spaces won't stop wind driven fire.

To their credit Xcel Energy has made a major effort over the past two years to replace power poles in the mountain areas around us. And they're using much larger heavier poles now.

Yesterday, some friends drove south on 36 north of Boulder and noticed the Middle Fork fire near the Lefthand Canyon Road was not just one but three separate fires. Seems suspicious to me that these fires all started next to the highways north and south of Boulder.

[KAPA]

Even if it's some lefty trying to show how bad climate change is and how we all need to drive coal powered Teslas, they will blame it on some guy shooting an automatic machine gun with a silencer on his ghost gun that shoots tracers.

[arbol]

Hope everyone that is up North is okay. Hundreds of homes and families displaced, and if anyone needs a place to spend the night, please yell.

[Starbuck]

I watched Sheriff Pelle this morning field those questions about the cause, and I take him at his word that there is an ongoing investigation. I'm not one to give too much credit to the "journalists" out there, but there were a number of questions about the cause asked by I believe a number of different reporters - Hopefully we'll get some answers.

[Starbuck]

I have not really watched much local news the last 5 or 6 years. Local news has been leaning left for years but once Trump became politically popular they basically became local CNN affiliates. At any rate, like many in the area I watched the local channels yesterday, 4, 7, 9, 31, to try and get info and holy smokes I didn't expect to get a dose of liberalism thrown at me during an emergency situation. Lots of subtle digs at conservative ideas, blaming global warming, and clearly republicans are to blame for all this.



Weatherman Mike Nelson made sure and directly blame Global Warming and fossil fuels for this thing, while Karen's favorite soy boy Kyle Clark claims that thankfully we now have sane politicians in charge and we should rest assured that they will lead the recovery efforts.

It used to be that real news was exempt from the spin, at least in emergency situations while they were happening... Guess those days are loooong gone!

88999

[MrPrena]

All$$ and it is scripted.
This is why long ago, some cnbc people left to fox News.
(Actually main reason for leaving is most likely the salary)

[Eric P]

Xcell claiming no powerline at suspected ignition point.

https://kdvr.com/news/local/did-downed-power-lines-cause-wildfire-xcel-says-its-not-finding-evidence-of-that/

[arbol]

All we need is copycat arsonists.

[.455_Hunter]

Xcell claiming no powerline at suspected ignition point.

https://kdvr.com/news/local/did-downed-power-lines-cause-wildfire-xcel-says-its-not-finding-evidence-of-that/

Interesting. There is a lot of inconsistency in that report. The Inci web plot does not include the new supposed point of origin closer to the city limits. What I saw was not down in the creek bottom.

[colorider]

As soon as the winds started we were hearing news of power lines down, sparks, and transformers blowing up. Before the fires ignited.

[Sawin]

I have 2 friends who lost their homes and at least 2 more former colleagues who I've not been in touch with for ~2 years, but based on the map, presume they've lost theirs also. Truly unimaginable and heart breaking.
The snow and cold today is salt in the wound too.
Prayers for all of the affected.

[BushMasterBoy]

The devastation is unreal. Not sure what I would do if my house disappeared like this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgP0_9q6VqY

[HoneyBadger]

Wow, that's painful to watch. Wishing the best for everyone affected by this.

[Hummer]

After 39 hours without electricity the power in our mountain homes was restored this evening. With all that's happened we feel fortunate.

[theGinsue]

What I find absolutely unbelievable is with all of this destruction and with how quickly this fire spread that there is still no reported loss of human life. Of course, we can expect that there were likely homes destroyed with pets inside where the owners couldn't get back to get them and this is very regrettable, but this many homes GONE and no one died? Amazing.

Throughout the day I've seen multiple comparisons between this fire and the Hayman, Waldo Canyon and Black Forest Fires. The one thing you don't hear in those comparisons is those other fires took days to wreak their carnage but the Marshall Fire took less than a day to wipe out so many homes and businesses - destroying lifetimes of collected memories and cherished possessions. Truly devastating.

What's sad is that there should be many lessons learned from this to try to avoid having it happen again but I doubt anything of value learned from this will result in better methods for building and mitigation going forward.

[funkymonkey1111]

To their credit Xcel Energy has made a major effort over the past two years to replace power poles in the mountain areas around us. And they're using much larger heavier poles now.
.


After getting popped for $39M for shit poles, they'd better be making that effort

https://www.denverpost.com/2007/05/24/ex-xcel-lineman-gets-39-million/

[buffalobo]

Excel was not held liable in that case, Qwest was. It was a Qwest pole installed in 1958 by Ma Bell predecessor.

[Ramsker]

Interesting . . .

https://kdvr.com/news/local/could-this-burning-shed-be-the-source-of-the-marshall-fire/

"New video obtained by FOX31 may show another potential source of the fire: a burning shed along Highway 93. The video was taken before noon at the intersection of Highway 93 and 170, the initial area fire investigators are focusing on for the ignition of the Marshall Fire."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMcD0UuUCAg

[BushMasterBoy]

I'm just wondering if asphalt shingle roofs are a major contributor to the houses that burnt down? I have been thinking of having my shingle roof replaced with sheet metal roofing. Almost every year I have minor shingle damage from high winds. This year the area looks like a tinderbox.

[eddiememphis]

...the Marshall Fire took less than a day to wipe out so many homes ... I doubt anything of value learned from this will result in better methods for building and mitigation going forward.

Engineered lumber burns hotter and faster than dimensional lumber. That may explain how the buildings were so completely burned.

Obviously, the wind was the biggest component, but if fireproofing standards were followed for traditional lumber and not updated for the newer stuff, it could be a factor as well.

[00tec]

Engineered lumber burns hotter and faster than dimensional lumber. That may explain how the buildings were so completely burned.

Obviously, the wind was the biggest component, but if fireproofing standards were followed for traditional lumber and not updated for the newer stuff, it could be a factor as well.

Vinyl siding doesn't help.

[MrPrena]

Some high end home had outdoor roof sprinkler system. We cannot have those since it will freeze up.

At this level of fire even N2 or Co2 system cannot prevent from burning down.

I saw the costco, pets mart, chuck e cheese etc and their structures were okay.

[Seamonkey]

No one thinks when they leave the house that morning it was for the last time.
Appreciate what you have when you have it.
Bug out plan isn't just for zombies.
When I was looking for a gun safe I was advised to buy the largest/best fire rating I could afford. Several family members have had to evacuate their homes over the years, being able to toss stuff in the safe and walk out was an emotional help on them.

I realize I'm not in easy commuting distance but I've got the space to store stuff and animals if people need.

[.455_Hunter]

I don't think is a moveable gun safe on the retail market designed to withstand the complete house combustion scenario seen in these events.

[00tec]

I don't think is a moveable gun safe on the retail market designed to withstand the complete house combustion scenario seen in these events.

My wife and I had that conversation yesterday. We determined that there is no way our safe would survive what we saw out there. 3k Sq ft homes burned down to their slabs in minutes. That's some extreme heat.

[Vic Tory]

No one thinks when they leave the house that morning it was for the last time.
Appreciate what you have when you have it.
Bug out plan isn't just for zombies.
When I was looking for a gun safe I was advised to buy the largest/best fire rating I could afford. Several family members have had to evacuate their homes over the years, being able to toss stuff in the safe and walk out was an emotional help on them.


WORD TO THE WISE: Many many homeowners have learned "fire proof" safes don't mean HEAT PROOF. Too many folks returned after the Black Forest fire ... opened their fire proof safes ... and found globs of melted polymer with steel components sticking out of them.

[Fire]



Wildfires are absolutely shocking.

I drove my girlfriend (now wife) back to her home in Trout Creek the day Hwy 67 opened after the Hayman Fire. I think they had been evacuated for 4 weeks or something. (There was another fire that had them evacuated the week before too. Only got back to their house for a couple days before they had to evac for Hayman).I lived in Castle Rock. Hayman was so close it was "snowing" ash on our house ... but the winds just barely kept it away. We were on-notice that we might be evacuated, and were not....

We moved to a property 1/2 mile south of the Black Forest Fire's damage after THAT fire. The previous owners didn't mitigate for way too many years. So I've been thinning trees on the property for seven years.

The Fire Station is 1/2 mile from me. I asked the Chief what makes him try to save a property. With zero hesitation he answered, "If I can get my people and my equipment in and out safely."

I immediately got to work. Seven years ago he'd have let my house burn...!



In any case, the scene will forever be in my mind. It's was absolutely surreal. Purely apocalyptic.Being just south of the Black Forest Fire, we still drive through whole neighborhoods which look like ... moonscapes.




Praying for the folks in Superior and Louisville. What they are going through is extremely hard and will be with them forever. Even more so because of the speed that this happened. They didn't have time to prepare themselves emotionally like folks had in many of the large fires in the past.AMEN!

[Hummer]

The Sheriff's press conference today is on the Boulder OEM page. Loss estimates reported are 553 homes destroyed and 45 damaged in Louisville; in Superior 332 homes destroyed and 60 damaged; in unincorporated county (from Marshall east) 106 homes destroyed, 22 damaged. Total of 991 destroyed, 127 damaged.

Three persons are unaccounted for and may be found as casualties when conditions allow search of their homes; 2 in Superior and 1 in the Marshall area.

[MrPrena]

As for insurance questions goes (for people who got affected).

I know some insurance company only covers rebuilding (my insurance at amfam) vs purchasing a new home.

Also how does ALE works?

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/add_living_expense_insurance.asp


Fire and casulty guys, please elaborate. 🙏

[HoneyBadger]

I helped "clean up" two of my co-workers' homes in Black forest about a week after the fire. It was absolutely heartbreaking.... Both of their homes looked like the ones in the video above - just a foundation with 1-2ft of ash and a bunch of twisted metal from ductwork and pipes, with the occasional appliance (hot water heaters, dishwashers, laundry) still somewhat intact. One of them had a Liberty Fatboy (48 gun?) safe in his basement and all his guns were a total loss. He had some family antique silverware (pure silver) in the safe and they were heavily deformed and ruined, but not completely melted, so the inside of his safe got HOT. (FYSA, the melt point of silver is like 1800 degrees) The safe looked more or less okay on the outside - just charred. The problem wasn't the extreme temps - it was the length of time it was exposed to the temps. In the Black Forest fire, many of the homes collapsed in on themselves and continued to burn and smolder at 1500+ degrees for 3-4 days...... no gun safe is going to be able to resist that much consistent heat. One of the Insurance guys we talked to said that he saw a few gunsafes survive with their cargo intact - and they were all positioned close to exterior walls (not in the basement) where the walls burned around them, but the heat source was gone in a relatively short amount of time. He (the insurance claims guy) also said placement near exterior walls is also good for regular housefires because firefighters can more successfully get water to that area to control the temp. Not sure if that matches anyone else's experiences, but it makes sense to me.

Our house was about 1/2 mile south of the fire, just across a small bit of grass from the Black Forest - we were really smoky, but saw no damage. We were very blessed.

ETA: It's probably a good idea to change out your HVAC filters right away if you had a lot of smoke or ash in or around your house.

[HoneyBadger]

One important thing to add:

If you or your loved ones are involved in cleaning up the remains of people's property, make sure you all have properly fitting and adequate respirators and other PPE! Lots of things release really nasty stuff when they burn, especially a lot of household chemicals and materials - much of which is associated with lung cancer later in life.

[MrPrena]

^ I agree. An industrial ones, not those home made covid 19 cotton mask junk.

However
Let them have freedom to inhale low molar house hold chlorine and ammonia vapor.

[Starbuck]

The Sheriff's press conference today is on the Boulder OEM page. Loss estimates reported are 553 homes destroyed and 45 damaged in Louisville; in Superior 332 homes destroyed and 60 damaged; in unincorporated county (from Marshall east) 106 homes destroyed, 22 damaged. Total of 991 destroyed, 127 damaged.

Three persons are unaccounted for and may be found as casualties when conditions allow search of their homes; 2 in Superior and 1 in the Marshall area.

Also from Sheriff Joe's same presser:

Downed power lines not the cause. Search warrant has been executed. More news soon.

Translation = a.r.s.o.n.?

Source here:

https://www.dailycamera.com/2022/01/01/marshall-fire-at-least-three-people-missing-991-homes-destroyed/

[Wulf202]

As for insurance questions goes (for people who got affected).

I know some insurance company only covers rebuilding (my insurance at amfam) vs purchasing a new home.

Also how does ALE works?

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/add_living_expense_insurance.asp


Fire and casulty guys, please elaborate. ��ale covers you while your home is being rebuilt. Renting a place. Paying for extra commute or budget differences. ADDITIONAL living expenses.

On total losses there's 10% above the structural amount for debris in amfam if I recall correctly.

If you lost above policy limits you start to earn back deductibles.

The reason you cant purchase a new home elsewhere is the dirt isnt covered in your homeowners policy. Structural is for the structure itself, lot prices are not covered. A home that you paid 500k for could have a structural policy of 300k if it were on a view property and be properly insured.

[Wulf202]

One important thing to add:

If you or your loved ones are involved in cleaning up the remains of people's property, make sure you all have properly fitting and adequate respirators and other PPE! Lots of things release really nasty stuff when they burn, especially a lot of household chemicals and materials - much of which is associated with lung cancer later in life.

Station someone to take photos of everything. This is hugely important in contents claims. Give an elderly person or young person a camera and put them next to the dumpster with instructions that nothing should go in that doesn't have a picture. Film is free.

[00tec]

ale covers you while your home is being rebuilt. Renting a place. Paying for extra commute or budget differences. ADDITIONAL living expenses.

On total losses there's 10% above the structural amount for debris in amfam if I recall correctly.

If you lost above policy limits you start to earn back deductibles.

The reason you cant purchase a new home elsewhere is the dirt isnt covered in your homeowners policy. Structural is for the structure itself, lot prices are not covered. A home that you paid 500k for could have a structural policy of 300k if it were on a view property and be properly insured.

My mortgage people send me a letter every few months because of that. They say "your mortgage is for $x, but you aren't insured for that". Guessing their computer isn't smart enough to know that my 38.5 acres of dirt really isn't going anywhere, short of an atomic bomb, but I'm a really shitty target.

[SSChameleon]

As for insurance questions goes (for people who got affected).

I know some insurance company only covers rebuilding (my insurance at amfam) vs purchasing a new home.

Also how does ALE works?


https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/add_living_expense_insurance.asp


Fire and casulty guys, please elaborate. ��

ALE will vary by carrier and policy. The cheap home polices will have caps on ALE. State Farm has a policy that is ?actual loss sustained? so they will pay any increased expense (rent, mileage, food ordered out)

Replacement cost will also vary. Some carriers will require you to build on the same dirt, some will let you purchase elsewhere (but not pay more for location or quality of build upgrade) and the carrier will get the deed to your burned out lot.

This where many people will learn the difference between a $800 and a $2000 homeowner policy.

[.455_Hunter]

Interesting . . .

https://kdvr.com/news/local/could-this-burning-shed-be-the-source-of-the-marshall-fire/

"New video obtained by FOX31 may show another potential source of the fire: a burning shed along Highway 93. The video was taken before noon at the intersection of Highway 93 and 170, the initial area fire investigators are focusing on for the ignition of the Marshall Fire."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMcD0UuUCAg

That is exactly the area I saw, but it was closer to 11 than 12.

[Wulf202]

ALE will vary by carrier and policy. The cheap home polices will have caps on ALE. State Farm has a policy that is ?actual loss sustained? so they will pay any increased expense (rent, mileage, food ordered out)

Replacement cost will also vary. Some carriers will require you to build on the same dirt, some will let you purchase elsewhere (but not pay more for location or quality of build upgrade) and the carrier will get the deed to your burned out lot.

This where many people will learn the difference between a $800 and a $2000 homeowner policy.

Based on my experience writing state farm claims it's the same ale as elsewhere. They have caps on ale. Its typically 10% of the dwelling coverage.

[Duman]

My wife and I had that conversation yesterday. We determined that there is no way our safe would survive what we saw out there. 3k Sq ft homes burned down to their slabs in minutes. That's some extreme heat.

A friend of mine lost his house during one of the California fires. His gun safe was intact, his firearms appeared to be OK. Until he attempted to manually cycle them. The slides were warped on most of his semi's. I would assume polymer framed guns would be a pile of goo.

[theGinsue]

One important thing to add:

If you or your loved ones are involved in cleaning up the remains of people's property, make sure you all have properly fitting and adequate respirators and other PPE! Lots of things release really nasty stuff when they burn, especially a lot of household chemicals and materials - much of which is associated with lung cancer later in life.

I have a friend who often volunteers for Samaritan's Purse. He went to Paradise, CA after a fire completely wiped that city off the map a few years back. All of the volunteers were housed several miles from where the fire occurred and before they began work, and several times throughout the day they had to gown up in tyvek coveralls, gloves, boots, goggles and high quality masks. Their job was to sift through the remains of homes to try to find anything left worth keeping for the homeowners. As Honeybadger said, the amount of toxic material in these destroyed homes was huge and sifting through the remains put a lot of that material into the air.

[Martinjmpr]

A friend of mine lost his house during one of the California fires. His gun safe was intact, his firearms appeared to be OK. Until he attempted to manually cycle them. The slides were warped on most of his semi's. I would assume polymer framed guns would be a pile of goo.


There was a guy on CO4x4 who lost his home in the Black Forest fire. He lost all of his guns that were in the gun safe. Most of his guns were loaded and cooked off rounds in the safe.

[sbgixxer]

As a Superior resident, it was a helluva ride. I just got internet back an hour ago, gas returned late last night (no heat for the 5 and 1 degree nights). I didn't evacuate but helped where I could in my neighborhood (mostly shutting off water since people couldn't return and watching for looter POS's). I couldn't leave for days because if I had, cops wouldn't let me back in. It's starting to calm down a bit here but still require IDs to enter. Here is some of the night:

89047 89048 89049 89050

[.455_Hunter]

As a Superior resident, it was a helluva ride. I just got internet back an hour ago, gas returned late last night (no heat for the 5 and 1 degree nights). I didn't evacuate but helped where I could in my neighborhood (mostly shutting off water since people couldn't return and watching for looter POS's). I couldn't leave for days because if I had, cops wouldn't let me back in. It's starting to calm down a bit here but still require IDs to enter. Here is some of the night:


Wow!

Glad you are safe and sound!

I understand staying. I went up and stayed at our family property in the 2010 Four Mile Fire while my parents evacuated. Good to lay low for a few days.

[sbgixxer]

Thanks Hunter. This is the brand new Elements hotel, fully engulfed just before it started coming down:

89051

[.455_Hunter]

Thanks Hunter. This is the brand new Elements hotel, fully engulfed just before it started coming down:

89051

It's interesting that the Element was the only large commercial building that went off to the races. What time was that pic? My Dad and I were at 95th & South Boulder at 2:00 pm, right under the plume after leaving his medical appointment.

[sbgixxer]

That photo was at 3:56pm. There were other commercial buildings damaged but I don't know if they were complete losses like the Element Hotel. Costco, Target, and Whole Foods all took heavy damage.

[Eric P]

It's interesting that the Element was the only large commercial building that went off to the races. What time was that pic? My Dad and I were at 95th & South Boulder at 2:00 pm, right under the plume after leaving his medical appointment.

Steel frame/siding or concrete tilt up vs stick build. Material flammability is key.

[.455_Hunter]

Steel frame/siding or concrete tilt up vs stick build. Material flammability is key.

Some of those buildings are a study in what you can do with 2x4's and strandboard. I am kinda surprised such construction is allowed for such facilities, but it seems to be the norm for apartments and hotels.

[def90]

Did the Element Hotel have that fake Stucco on it? The stuff that they trowel on out of a 5 gallon bucket on to styrofoam?

[sbgixxer]

Not sure but the smoke smelled like fireworks that were freshly lit. I'm sure that was healthy.

[ray1970]

Not sure but the smoke smelled like fireworks that were freshly lit. I'm sure that was healthy.

I also thought the smoke had a weird smell. Almost more of an electrical fire or something. Kind of an acidic smell. I haven?t really been around fires that were consuming structures so I am not really familiar with whatever type of smell that is. It definitely wasn?t the usual campfire smell that I associate with a typical wildfire.

[00tec]

I also thought the smoke had a weird smell. Almost more of an electrical fire or something. Kind of an acidic smell. I haven?t really been around fires that were consuming structures so I am not really familiar with whatever type of smell that is. It definitely wasn?t the usual campfire smell that I associate with a typical wildfire.

We got a lot of what smelled like burning tires. Probably the asphalt roofing.

[MarkCO]

We got a lot of what smelled like burning tires. Probably the asphalt roofing.

Asphalt roofing, the cars, the Styrofoam from EIFS, polymer pipes, fiberglass tubs and showers. Lots of chemicals in today's houses as opposed to those built 40 years ago. Grocery stores, Big Box stores are basically HAZMAT sites for a few days until they get cleaned up. Anything with a pharmacy requires that they try to log the drugs (actual work of doing so is a joke). Lots of nasty thing to burn in a residence and a lot more in say a Home Depot.

[BushMasterBoy]

Homeless set a fire today in Pueblo City limits. I got there before the Fire Department. I was shocked at the little huts made of tarps and pallets. People living in drainage ditches and culverts. The winds have been gusting to 35MPH. Humidity at 15%. Recipe for disaster.

https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/fire-at-homeless-camp-forces-evacuations-in-pueblo

[def90]

Yes, home firss have a distinctive fire. Melted electrical, plastic, paint, metal from duct work and appliances, pvc from piping. No where near a foreset fire smell, closer to a car fire smell.

[.455_Hunter]

I had an atypical raging sinus headache starting on Friday evening.

I wonder if I got some nasty smoke in Lafayette on Thursday afternoon?

[00tec]

I had an atypical raging sinus headache starting on Friday evening.

I wonder if I got some nasty smoke in Lafayette on Thursday afternoon?

I'm sure you did. I had to duct tape my dog door because we had so much smoke in the house out here. It was unbearable to walk outside.

[Osmosis]

You guys are spot on about the air quality and health risks. They just issued a PSA regarding air quality in Louisville and are setting up monitoring stations. Of course once the snow is gone the next windy day will spread that bad stuff all over town.

[Sawin]

Yep. The moment we realized what was happening, we turned off our furnaces for 36 hours for this very reason. House got cold, but we didn't pull much of the smoke into our house thankfully.