Colorado fires burn 6,000 acres; destroys at least 500 homes
Colorado officials are calling it a miracle that no deaths have been reported from fires fueled by more than 100 mph winds that swept through Boulder County in a matter of hours.
Coverage for this event has ended.
Boulder County grass fire
President Biden approved Colorado’s request that Boulder County be declared a major disaster. The declaration makes federal funding available for state and local recovery efforts.
Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The Colorado Division of Insurance says it is ready to help fire victims get started on insurance claims.
“This is a large disaster and the impact to many people will be felt for months. The Division expects insurance companies to honor the promises they have made to Coloradans and provide whatever assistance is possible,” said Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway.
Consumer service team contact: 303-894-7490 or 800-930-3745
More information: CLICK HERE
Video released by firefighters showed what the conditions first responders encountered on Thursday.
Photo by: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Boulder Emergency Management says an investigation into the ignition of the grassfires has found no downed powerlines, as was initially thought to be the trigging mechanism.
Xcel Energy says they inspected all of the electric lines in the ignition area and found no downed powerlines.
The investigation by multiple agencies continues.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management has resources on its website for people who wish to help the communities and first responders impacted by the Marshall Fire. Volunteers, donations and funds are needed.
Officials are asking good Samaritans not to self-deploy to the burn zone because it's still dangerous.
Thousands of customers near Boulder, Colorado are without natural gas and electric services.
Click the image above to watch.
A flight attendant’s footage shows the Marshall Fire burning in Louisville, Colorado.
President Joe Biden spoke Friday morning with Colorado Governor Jared Polis to discuss the no-notice wildfires that caused significant property damage and loss in the state.
Polis described the impacts and the need for additional federal support, and Biden assured him that every effort will be made to provide immediate help to people in the impacted communities.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and her team are already working with their counterparts in Colorado to surge assistance.
Biden said he was grateful to all of the first responders who have come to the aid of Colorado communities and families impacted by the fires.
Colorado officials are calling it a miracle that no deaths have been reported from the grassland fire fueled by more than 100 mph winds that swept through Boulder County in a matter of hours.
Marshall Fire destroys entire subdivisions with hundreds of homes burned in Louisville, Colorado.
Nothing but slabs are left for city blocks in Louisville, Colorado, after the Marshall Fire on Dec. 30, 2021. Storm chaser Brandon Clement captured the remains at first light using a drone.
Click on the image above to watch drone video.
Drone footage captures fires burning in the area of Louisville and Superior, Colorado.
Snow began to fall in Boulder, Colorado, on Friday morning, which was a welcome sight to firefighters working hard to extinguish the Marshall and Middle Fork fires southeast of the city.
Boulder County emergency management officials held a briefing at 10 a.m. ( Noon ET) on the Marshall Fire. The fast-moving fire has burned at least 600 homes, as well as area businesses.
Watch a replay in the YouTube video player above.
Boulder County Sheriff Pelle said there are still no reports of casualties from the fire. One person reported missing Thursday was found and alive.
The cause of the fire is still believed to be downed power lines knocked down by the high winds but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Maxar satellite images reveal what Superior, Colorado, neighborhoods looked like before and during Thursday's devastating wildfires.
It devastated neighbors but left others next door still standing.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said there are at least 2,000 in the Marshall Fire burn area but not all structures were destroyed. At least 500 homes are gone but the wind caused an unusual burn pattern skipping one home and jumping to another.
The final damage numbers won't be in until later Friday or Saturday.
Thomas Quay Williams recorded this footage near Boulder, Colorado.
Thomas Quay Williams recorded this footage near Boulder, Colorado, the morning after wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes and led thousands to evacuate. Around 35,000 people were evacuated and approximately 600 houses were destroyed. The Marshall Fire was an estimated 1,600 acres in size by Thursday afternoon, with Colorado Gov Jared Polis declaring a state of emergency.
A.J. Lauer and her family quickly packed up their belongings and fled their Superior, Colorado, home to get away from the looming fire danger.
Lauer and her family evacuated to a friend’s house just southwest of their home, which she hoped survived the fire.
Thousands fled the Marshall Fire as it rapidly spread Thursday, potentially leaving behind pets and other animals. The Boulder OEM has an online form for residents to fill out if they would like first responders to attempt to look for their animals.
Boulder Air Quality Alert
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an air quality health advisory until noon because of the smoke. The advisory includes Broomfield, and southeastern Boulder communities including Louisville, Superior, and Lafayette.
Incoming snow showers should help decrease the smoke later on Friday.
FOX News reporter Alicia Acuna joins FOX Weather from Louisville, Colorado.
Winds are dying down after fueling large wildfires across Colorado. So far, the wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and forced tens of thousands of Coloradans to evacuate. FOX News reporter Alicia Acuna joins FOX Weather from Louisville, Colorado, with the very latest on these devastating fires.
As much as 8-12 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Boulder area.
Snow is expected to end the extreme fire weather conditions near Boulder, Colorado, which led to the historic and devastating fires on Thursday. As much as 8-12 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Boulder area, and 3-6 inches is expected in Denver which will be the region's largest snow of the season.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management will be holding its next media briefing at 10 a.m. Mountain time Friday from the Boulder County Sheriff's Headquarters. The live stream can be viewed on its Facebook page.
Residents in central Colorado will feel the impacts of the Boulder County wildfires.
FOX 31 in Denver reports that Xcel Energy's natural gas infrastructure was impacted Thursday night, so to decrease the strain on the system, the company is putting in place controlled electrical outages in several counties.
Summit, Grand, Lake, Eagle, Saguache, Rio Grande and Alamosa Counties will be impacted through Thursday night.
Boulder County Emergency managers are asking those who have evacuated to please not return to your homes for the rest of the night:
"If you are a resident who has evacuated or has property in an evacuation zone, please do NOT return to the area. We know that you are concerned about your home and your belongings. First responders are working non-stop to keep everyone safe, even as they don’t know the status of their own homes in the area. No one will be allowed in the evacuated areas overnight. Please be patient as we do our best to protect everyone’s safety. The recovery process will be a long one, but we will get through this together one step at a time."
Snow totals expected through Saturday
Now that the winds have died down, officials are hopeful that tomorrow's precipitation will also help fight the fires.
Boulder is forecasted to see more than a foot of snow through Saturday.
Snow chances for Boulder begin overnight and last through Saturday afternoon.
Wind gust forecast for 9 p.m. MT on Thursday
High Wind Warnings have all been canceled.
Variable winds will still last throughout the night, but the strongest ones are over, the NWS says.
Home security video shows a fire moving towards a property in Boulder, Colorado.
Officials have estimated that nearly 600 homes have burned from Thursday's fires.
Evacuation orders are still in place.
Video shows the fire overtaking neighborhoods in Colorado.
At least 580 homes have been burned by fires in Colorado.
Officials said Thursday that as of 5 p.m. MT, the fires have burned 1,600 acres and they feared the many more houses would burn by the time the fire was put out.
According to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, overnight shelters will be available at the North Boulder Recreation Center, Longmont Senior Center and the YMCA in Lafayette. Cots are on their way and food will be brought in.
Mayor of Superior, Colorado, Clint Folsom says that at least 200 homes have been burned in the fires.
"This is devastating for our people,” Folsom said during a press conference on Thursday.
Evacuation orders are still in place for Superior along with surrounding towns.
Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle
Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle said in a press conference Thursday that they believe downed power lines caused the fire.
He noted that many homes were burned as a result from the fire and evacuation orders are still in place.
During a press conference, Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle said that he ordered members of the National Guard to help with the fire.
"I've ordered a dozen two-person units," Pelle said. "I am hoping they will be here tonight to help with the night shift."
Pelle said that they can use all the help they can get to fight this fire.
Boulder County Sheriff Pelle provides an update on the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires in Boulder County. Coverage courtesy of KDVR.
The Marshall Fire in Colorado quickly moved across dry land burning homes and structures in its path.
Officials have ordered evacuations for Superior and Louisville, Colorado. The towns are home to 30,000 residents.
Winds and the rapid-fire have knocked out power to over 30,000 people in Colorado, including those trying to evacuate.
After receiving reports of power outages delaying evacuees who could not open their garage doors to leave, the Office of Emergency Management reminded people to pull the red emergency handle on garage doors to quickly get out.
Colorado highway closures
Highway 36 (Boulder Turnpike) is closed in both directions between CO 128 and Colorado Avenue and between Wadsworth and Boulder.
Watch as smoke from the Marshall Fire in Boulder moves along the roadside.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency because of the fires near Boulder.
The declaration allows the state to access disaster emergency funds to support the emergency response efforts in Boulder and provide state resources including the use of the Colorado National Guard, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and activation of the State Emergency Operations Center.
FOX Weather radar caught the ash and smoke plume from the Colorado wildfires.
Smoke and ash from the Boulder area wildfires are so thick, weather radar picked up the plume.
Views from Boulder County, Colorado where crews are fighting multiple grassfires.
Location of the three fires in Colorado.
First responders are battling three fires, two are both part of the Marshall Fire near the South Foothills and Cherryvale and one is the Middle Fork Fire near Route 36 and Middle Fork Road.
Costco shoppers in Superior, Colorado flee smoke and flames from the wind-whipped wildfire.
Wind gusts across the Northern Rockies.
A ground stop has been issued for the Denver International Airport due to high winds. Delays are at 40 minutes and increasing.
A view from Broomfield of the fire smoke near the Flatirons Mall.
High wind warnings for the Northern Rockies until 11 p.m. Thursday
According to NOAA's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, there are elevated fire weather conditions Thursday afternoon in the central to southern High Plains. This includes eastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico and West Texas. A high wind warning is in effect until 11 p.m.
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