Co-Existing with Wildfire
Three of the largest fires in Colorado history have all occurred since 2020, with the most destructive fire, Marshall Fire, destroying more than 1,000 structures.
December 30, 2021 was a day that I will never forget, as this was the start of the Marshall Fire. I currently reside in Superior, Colorado where this fire ravaged and incinerated our community, as well as our neighboring city of Louisville, both located in Boulder County, Colorado. I had just returned home from Arizona after the holidays and was looking forward to getting some rest and running a few errands around town that day. As I started heading towards Boulder, there was a police officer blocking the on-ramp to the highway with his car. I had no clue what was going on and then I looked up in the sky and saw a billowing cloud of smoke in front of me. I honestly had no idea what this was... my first thought was a tornado, as I grew up in the midwest and that was standard weather for us along with flooding, but not in December/January. I turned around, went home and googled "Fire in Boulder" and saw there was indeed a fire happening that had just started 30 minutes prior. I went and stood on top of the hill behind my home to see where it was located and it was moving very quickly towards our town. I called my parents, told them what was happening and that I would be in-touch while I got my things together to leave my home.
At this point, I had never been in a wildfire before nor did I know what to do, where to go, what to pack, where to find up-to-date information on the fire, etc. I was clueless. I had no evacuation plan other than get myself and my dog in my car and drive away from the fire. I kept checking google to see if there were evacuations in place for our county, and no evacuations were currently required at that time. I could not believe there wasn't anything being announced or any notifications to the residents as this fire was moving quickly with over 100 mph winds supporting its destructive path. As I was evacuating the area, there were traffic jams, cars driving on sidewalks and grass, smoke covering the sight on the roads, and I was extremely nervous I would be stuck and not be able to get out. I finally was able to head east and go around the fire and head up to north Boulder where I stayed with a friend. About 4 hours later, I finally started getting notifications on my phone to evacuate the area, and I thought that was a bit late as the fire was already destroying our county. There were several places for people in the community to evacuate to, as well as offering food, water, clothing, space heaters and anything else that the community needed.
"HOW DO WE ALL PLAY OUR ROLE IN CO-EXISTING WITH WILDFIRES?"
The night of Dec. 30, 2021 added even more stress to this terrible natural disaster, as I watched online the path of the fire and where it was located and currently moving. The map showed the different areas that had been demolished by the fire and it was currently on the edge of the street where my home was located. Miraculously, it started snowing and the wind stopped blowing, which helped the firefighters contain the fire. The fire had finally stopped right in front of my house. I was one of the lucky ones.
The next day, we were notified by the county that we could return to the area to see the destruction, return to our homes if they were safe and still standing. This was one of the most disheartening things I witnessed, as I saw my neighborhood completely destroyed, families going to look at their homes that were no longer there, and negative temperatures with snow that made returning to homes difficult because the electricity (heat) was shut off in the county to prevent explosions. I couldn't believe this disaster had destroyed my community and I was speechless and didn't know how to react or what to do to help. I contacted several friends in my area and found out they lost everything, cars, homes, pets, etc. Most people were out of town due to the holidays, so they had to call others to check on their homes to discover they had perished.
"THERE WERE FIREFIGHTERS RISKING THEIR LIVES TO SAVE THEIR NEIGHBOR'S HOMES, AS THEIR OWN HOMES WERE BURNING UP DOWN THE STREET."
This fire demonstrated how even an urban area is not immune to wildfire tragedy. Below is a video I would like to share that documents the impact of wildfires in Colorado, showcasing what federal and state government organizations are doing to help, while emphasizing the critical role of homeowners in preventing wildfires. There are expert interviews with local foresters, researchers, state fire officials, Colorado Congressmen, and personal stories of the impact of wildfires and mitigation efforts. You can also find the video on PBS.
We will soon share a page on our website with resources that you can access to find out more information about current wildfires, preventions, and evacuations. Stay tuned to our blog as we will be posting this soon.
Thank you to our first responders that risk their lives to ensure the safety of our community.
