The two fires, Middle Fork Fire and Marshall Fire, started in the late morning. The first fire, called the Middle Fork fire, was reported just before 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of North Foothills Hwy. and Middle Fork Road. Crews were able to contain the Middle Fork Fire later in the day, and resources were reallocated to the Marshall Fire.
The Marshall Fire was reported just after 11 a.m. at South Foothills Hwy. and Marshall Road. Over the course of the day, the fire grew exponentially due to extreme wind conditions and spread east. It spread through Superior and parts of Louisville. Avista Hospital and many care facilities in the area were evacuated. At the time of the press briefing at 5 p.m., the fire was estimated to be approximately 1600 acres in size. It was estimated that more than 560 homes were destroyed at the time of the press briefing, including the Sagamore neighborhood and homes in Old Town Superior.
At this point, we only have one report of an injury, a minor injury to an officer’s eye from wind-blown debris. It is too early to tell if we have any fire-related casualties, but there is potential for casualties given the vast destruction that occurred in a short frame of time. At the time of the press briefing, there were no reported fatalities or missing persons.
There are three Boulder County evacuation centers open:
- North Boulder Recreation Center, 3170 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304
- Lafayette YMCA, 2800 Dagny Way Lafayette, CO
- Rocky Mtn Christian Church, 9447 Niwot Rd., Longmont (Niwot)
- If you are COVID-positive and must evacuate, please evacuate to the COVID Recovery Center at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, 3485 Stanford Ct, Boulder, CO
A community call center has been established. This call center has information concerning the fires’ impact on Boulder County and can be reached at 303-413-7730. Any community members with questions or needs are encouraged to call here instead of 911.
The fire activity is constantly changing and highly impacted by the weather. We are hopeful the winds will decrease through the evening, but forecasters are anticipating continued, occasional gusts.
Individuals should not attempt to return to their neighborhoods until they receive official word that it is safe to do so. This may not be for several days.
We wish to thank the many agencies that are responding to this emergency with us.
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