Two people were still missing Monday after a large wildfire devastated Boulder County on Thursday, destroying over 6,000 acres and nearly 1,000 homes and businesses. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Gov. Jared Polis and Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle had little new information to offer about the Marshall fire during a news conference on Monday.
Pelle said officials were continuing to search for the two missing people, though the search is expected to take a while. A woman from Louisville and a man from the Marshall area were reported missing after the fire. On Sunday, a third person who was also missing and feared dead was found alive.
"We are actively working at two scenes," Pelle said. "It is very, very difficult work given the debris, the heat ... essentially working by hand and with small tools to try to get through those places."
The cause of the fire remains unclear. Pelle said it could be weeks or months before information about the investigation is available.
Pelle said investigators are aware of a video on social media of a burning shed in the area where the fire ignited, but he said it's too early to know if the fire started there and declined to comment further.
"We're going to do it right, it's going to take some time, you're going to lose your patience, because it's going to take a while," Pelle said. "We're going to take our time and we're going to do it right and be methodical because the stakes are huge."
As of Sunday evening, the fire burned 6,219 acres and was 74% contained, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management. The fire destroyed at least 991 structures and damaged another 127 in Superior, Louisville and unincorporated Boulder County.
A disaster assistance center opened Monday to help those affected by the blaze with filing claims for property loss, as well as providing financial and food assistance, hotel vouchers, mental health support and transportation.
“This is going to be a long road back for so many families,” Polis said. “This outpouring of love and support doesn’t change the fact that families have lost everything they had.”
The center is in Lafayette at the Boulder County Southeast County Hub at 1755 S. Public Road and will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day for several weeks. Polis said the center was “running smoothly” on Monday.
Downtown Superior reopened to residents and business owners on Monday and the Spanish Hills subdivision is expected to reopen by the end of the day, Pelle said. Updates on reopenings will be posted on BoulderOEM.com.
As neighborhoods are reopened, trash bins will be placed throughout the county from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for residents to dispose of spoiled food and water damaged household items. Locations will also be posted on BoulderOEM.com.
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