DENVER — More than a year after Colorado’s most destructive fire was contained, answers as to what sparked the blaze may finally come to the more than 1,000 homeowners who lost everything in the Marshall Fire.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office announced they will be holding a press conference Thursday morning “on the investigative outcome into the cause and origin of the 2021 Marshall Fire.”
The Marshall Fire started in Boulder County near the town of Superior and the city of Louisville on Dec. 30, 2021, around 11 a.m. Wind gusts of up to 115 mph allowed for the rapid spread of the fire amid dry conditions.
Coverage of the 2021 Marshall Fire
The fire killed two people — Robert Sharpe, 69, and Edna Nadine Turnbull, 91, who remains missing but is presumed dead — and destroyed 1,084 homes, damaging an additional 149 others. It destroyed seven businesses and damaged 30 more and is estimated to have caused more than $2 billion in damages.
The exact cause and origin have not been revealed, but speculation as to what or who may be responsible quickly spread as soon as the fire was extinguished. Some of those theories included a downed power line, an underground coal fire, and a Boulder County religious group.
Investigators have followed up on more than 200 tips, plus interviews, photos and videos from the first responders involved in the initial response. Deputies's body-worn cameras captured 266 recordings and 450 photos.
The sheriff's office has also collected 186 pieces of evidence, including 49 physical items and 137 digital items, like drone footage and photos taken by witnesses and investigators. The team investigating the fire is made of experts and state and federal agencies.
Specific details as to what will be shared during the 10 a.m. briefing were not released. Both Sheriff Curtis Johnson and District Attorney Michael Dougherty will be speaking during the event.
The press briefing will be streamed live on Denver7.com and on our Facebook page beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday.
