BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Monday's high wind speeds caused some survivors of the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County to feel uneasy.
The wind-driven fire erupted three years ago to the day, coinciding with a high wind warning.
Roughly 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, and two people were killed by the blaze.
Despite seemingly similar conditions, the National Weather Service stressed how different Monday's conditions were compared to three years ago.
On the day the Marshall Fire started, there were 100 mph hurricane-force winds. On Monday, wind speeds topped out at around 80 mph.
The area was also experiencing extreme drought conditions at the time of the Marshall Fire, which contributed to its strength.
Still, strong wind gusts on Monday were enough for Marshall Fire survivors and first responders to feel anxious.
"Yesterday afternoon, I ran out and I watered down all around the house. I was ready, and I was anxious," said Leslie Levinson, who lost her home in the Marshall Fire. "I was anxious all last night, waiting for the wind to come and wondering what it was going to be like."
Levinson and her husband, Eric Levinson, said days with windy conditions, like Monday's, are always tough. The two recall the moment they evacuated their home back in 2021.
"We rolled out the window blinds and saw that the fence was on fire, and then there was that small explosion behind our house, and things started flying into our window," Eric Levinson said. "We grabbed our pets. We didn't grab a winter jacket. I mean, basically, the way you see me today is almost exactly how I left the house. I had a pair of Carhartts on, a flannel shirt, just like this, and we basically ran out and left everything behind."
The Levinsons lost their home and all of their possessions that day, but they decided to rebuild in the same spot.
"We knew we were coming back," Eric Levinson said. "It feels great to see everybody coming back and to see all the building going on and stuff."
While survivors are a bit on edge when wind speeds start picking up, so are first responders.
At Boulder Fire-Rescue Station 8, the Wildland Division staffed up for the day, ensuring all bases were covered.
"Right now, we're consistently following our remote, automated weather stations, so we're taking in and looking at wind gusts and wind speeds, consistent wind speeds," said Kerry Webster, a fire operations specialist with the City of Boulder's Wildland Division. "We're monitoring both our city radio channels as well as the county radio channels."
The team is also closely monitoring infrared cameras through Boulder to monitor potential smoke.
"Those have been incredibly useful for us. When we have smoke reports, we can get a visual very quickly and kind of get an indication of what the fire behavior is," Webster said.
Above all else, both survivors and first responders say they feel prepared and aware on days with conditions like Monday's.
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