Marshall Fire still shrouded in mystery one year later
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A neighborhood that burned to the ground during the Marshall Fire, pictured on Jan. 3 in Louisville. Photo: Chet Strange/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Nearly a year after hundreds of homes burned and two people were killed in Boulder County, the spark that ignited the record-setting Marshall Fire remains unknown.
Catch up quick: Dec. 30 marks the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, estimated to have caused more than $2 billion in damage.
- Local officials last week announced the investigation could be completed in early 2023.
- The Boulder County Sheriff's Office and district attorney's office have spent the last 12 months poring over 200 tips, 260 body-worn camera recordings and 186 pieces of evidence trying to identify the causes beyond extreme drought and 110 mph winds.
- Meanwhile, a judge recently decided to allow a class action lawsuit blaming Xcel Energy for the fire to move forward.
Of note: A wildfire broke out across 19 acres in Boulder County on Monday and destroyed at least one home, underscoring the reality that "fire season" no longer exists.
Zoom in: As rebuilding started in the wake of the Marshall Fire, and some homeowners move into newly built homes, many people whose properties were contaminated by smoke damage but left standing are in limbo trying to convince insurance companies their residences are unlivable.
- Researchers including Joost de Gouw at the University of Colorado Boulder are trying to help by measuring the impacts on air quality in homes caught in the Marshall Fire's path and sharing that science, which is currently limited.
What they're saying: "This was not an ordinary wildfire and we do not know enough about the pollutants you get when homes are burnt as opposed to vegetation," de Gouw told Axios Denver. "It is possible that there are still some pollutants out there that we have yet to discover."
- "We still receive reports from home owners about continued health concerns," he added.
The big picture: As the Marshall Fire ripped through dense neighborhoods in suburban Boulder County, cities such as Louisville and Superior were mostly unaware of evacuation orders due to an emergency system that had yet to be implemented.
- Many Colorado countries remain at-risk, 9News reports. At least 15 counties have yet to adopt a decade-old communications system the federal government deems an " an essential part of America's emergency preparedness."
What to watch: Millions of federal dollars are coming to Colorado to combat wildfires, officials announced last week.
- More than $7 million from a $228 million federal program to prevent and recover from wildfires is allocated to the Centennial State next fiscal year and will cover roughly 50 projects.