Updated at 8:23 p.m. MST Dec. 30, 2021
To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Marshall Fire, including the most recent, click here.
The Element Hotel in Superior, CO burned:
Structures burn, including an Element Hotel, as a wind-driven wildfire forced evacuation of the Superior suburb of Boulder, Colorado. Photo by Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY NETWORK pic.twitter.com/3Te1fwEkMc
— corinne_perkins (@corinne_perkins) December 31, 2021
Updated at 6:52 p.m. MST Dec. 30, 2021
At a 5 p.m. briefing Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said he was not aware of any fatalities that had occurred at that point on the Marshall Fire, which has burned approximately 1,600 acres southeast of Boulder, Colorado. One officer has been injured. (see maps below)
“However,” he said, “I would like to emphasize that due to the magnitude of this fire, the intensity of this fire, and its presence in such a heavily populated area we would not be surprised if there are fatalities.”
The Sheriff listed the numbers of structures that had burned at the time of the briefing. The numbers, totaling about 580, are approximate:
- 370 homes in the Sagamore subdivision just west of Superior,
- 210 homes in the Old Town Superior area,
- The Target shopping complex in Superior was on fire,
- The Element Hotel in Superior was “fully engulfed”.
Sheriff Pelle said the Middle Fork Fire 5 miles north of Boulder near Highway 36 was reported at about 10:30 Thursday morning. The spread has been stopped.
The Marshall Fire, still vigorously spreading, started just after 11 a.m. Thursday.
From our photog @dave_wille near the Flatirons. These fires continue to take out entire neighborhoods. @CBSDenver #MarshallFire pic.twitter.com/UMViz2reI6
— Ryan Greene ? (@RyanCBS4) December 31, 2021
Evacuation Centers
Three evacuation centers are available: North Boulder Recreation Center, Longmont Senior Center, and the YMCA in Lafayette. Cots are on their way and authorities are arranging for meals. Large animals should be taken to Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W. 6th Ave., Golden, CO 80401. The Boulder County Fairgrounds was reported to be full Thursday afternoon.
Weather Forecast
The forecast for the fire area Thursday night is for partly cloudy skies with a low around 27. The wind speeds will be decreasing through the night, with a south-southeast wind 19 to 24 mph becoming southwest 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph.
On Friday snow is expected after 11 a.m. The temperature will rise to 34 by noon, then fall to around 27 during the remainder of the day. The wind will be west-southwest at 7 to 11 mph becoming east-northeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible.
The National Weather Service posted this list of maximum wind gusts in Boulder County today.
Updated at 4:42 p.m. MST Dec. 30, 2021
We now have a better map of the Marshall Fire (above), based on heat detected by satellites at 2:05 p.m. MST December 30.
Continue reading “Wind-driven wildfire burns hundreds of homes near Boulder, Colorado”
