• 2 missing people (1 found deceased)
• The Marshall fire is expected to be the 10th costliest in U.S. history. 
• Over 1,000 houses and structures burned 
• About 127 damaged homes 
• Louisville: 553 destroyed, 45 damaged
• Superior: 332 destroyed, 60 damaged
• Unincorporated Boulder County: 106 destroyed, 22 damaged

The Marshall fire started on Thursday December 30th 2021. It burned over 6,000 acres, destroying around 1,000 homes. In Louisville, 553 structures were lost and 45 damaged. In Superior, 332 structures were lost and 22 damaged. In Boulder County, 106 structures were destroyed and 22 damaged. 3 people were missing, 1 person was found. This makes it the most destructive fire in Colorado history, and it is expected to be the 10th costliest fire in U.S. history. The Boulder County Wildlife: Crisis Relief is helping give out supplies that people will need. They are also taking donations, you can donate to the Red Cross, along with many other organizations. Hopefully, we can start rebuilding soon and people can get their homes back. Stay safe Dragons!

We interviewed some Flagstaff Dragons that were impacted by the fire, here is what they said:

Questions:

• How were you affected by the Marshall Fire?
• How did the community help you and others that were affected?
• How did it feel to know that your house was in danger?
• Do you want to be anonymous in the article?

Answers:

Ms. Moskoff

• How were you affected by the Marshall Fire?

• My entire town was evacuated. Unfortunately, evacuation notices were only texted to individuals who signed up to receive alerts on our cell phones. Most of us were not signed up because we didn’t know this was an option available to us. The only reason we evacuated is because Ms. Cook texted me. She lives in the mountains and could see the fires moving towards my house! 

• How did the community help you and others that were affected?
  • We had a bunch of offers to stay at friends’ houses the night of the evacuation. It was incredibly moving to know that we were supported. Luckily, our house was not affected and so we were able to focus our energies on supporting our neighbors who either lost everything or are displaced while their homes are being cleaned from the smoke damage. 

• How did it feel to know that your house was in danger?
  • By the time we left, we were at the tail end of the evacuation traffic. It took us an hour and a half to drive two miles. Those two miles were the worst! I was completely trapped in traffic with nowhere to turn off an escape. When I looked out the window to the north, the skies were blue, but when I looked out the window to the south, it was a wall of dark smoke. I had no idea how close the fire was and if it would reach the street we were all trapped on. During this drive, I didn’t think about our house. It wasn’t until the restless night that it sunk in that we may not have a home to return to. We feel incredibly grateful and lucky!

Anonymous

• How were you affected by the Marshall Fire?

• Practically speaking, my family and I evacuated and stayed out of our home for 11 days. We have ongoing work to do in the house to mitigate any impact from smoke. Some of this we can do ourselves and some of it has to be contracted out to people who specialize in fire mitigation. On our well being and sense of community, the Marshall Fire has had a tremendous impact. 

• How did the community help you and others that were affected?
  • I live on a street with seven houses so our neighborhood community has been an incredible resource both practically and emotionally. Before the fire, we used a WhatsApp thread to check in on each other, share information, and help out in the early days of the pandemic when all of us were isolated in our homes. As conditions were changing rapidly the day of the fire, we were in constant communication with each other and since then, we have been sharing our research and information about the mitigation we all need to do in our houses. However, it has also been a huge resource for support and good humor too.  In the wider community, the disaster center that was set up has been very helpful. The city has also hosted some community Zoom meets that have helped address some of our questions. I can’t speak for those who did lose their homes, but the outpouring of resources and donations has been constant. The community Facebook pages are full of people offering items to those who have been displaced- everyone wants to do something to help. 

• How did it feel to know that your house was in danger?
  • The day of the fire and while we were evacuating, my house itself felt insignificant. My husband and I were both out of the house and in different locations when the fire started and our teenage son was home alone. We thought we might not be able to get back into our neighborhood and that our son and dog would have to evacuate with the neighbors. When we got home, we had less than 10 minutes to gather what we thought we needed or wanted. Our son had already gathered items for the dog and had thought about getting our passports and other important documents (something we had not even thought of!). When we left, I felt that all that mattered to me was that we were together and moving toward safety. We could also tell by the conditions that we needed to be prepared to lose it all. Maybe because the conditions were so scary, I realized there was nothing I could do to control the situation or outcome and I did not worry about the house.

Cites:

https://kdvr.com/community/boulder-county-wildfire-crisis-relief/

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