Volunteers help Boulder County assess need for smoke-damaged debris removal

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Volunteers went door-to-door Sunday as part of Boulder County's efforts to clean up neighborhoods affected by the Marshall Fire.

Anna Peshock and her husband Logan were part of a group of more than a dozen people walking through some Louisville neighborhoods, as other volunteers knocked on doors of homes in Superior.

With notepads and flyers in hand, they're helping the county assess the need for smoke-damaged debris removal.

"We actually got up this morning, I looked at my phone and I saw there was a call for volunteers. Like, we gotta go," Peshock said.

Volunteers are tackling 30 zones within the perimeter of the Marshall Fire where homes are still standing in Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County.

Most of the work is happening Monday.

"We're going to be doing the perimeter areas where the more really smoke-damage houses were that were not in the destroyed zones, so tomorrow is going to be much heavier," said Jaimie Portelle, deputy director of planning and resilience at AC Disaster Consulting, the group helping to coordinate cleanup efforts.

Smoke-damaged debris includes items like plants, furniture, appliances and electronics. Burned debris, Portelle, won't be accepted.

"Knowing the number of households that will put stuff to the curb, knowing where, knowing what kind of stuff will just help the county make those resources available," she said.

The actual curbside collection won't begin until the county finishes removing debris from its rights of way. That work started Friday and is expected to take about a month.

But getting the word out now about this next phase in the county's cleanup efforts is just one way neighbors can help each other.

"I want to help support as much as I can," Peschock said. "So, you know, for a couple of hours, walking around, giving information … It's a pretty easy thing to do that I hope makes an impact."

Homeowners who aren't home Sunday or Monday to speak with volunteers can self-report smoke-damaged items at BoCo.org/damage-self-report. You can also learn more information about the curbside collection at BoCo.org/Marshall-Debris-Cleanup.