'Marshall' Fire- Colorado's Most Destructive Wildfire 30 Dec 2021
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- 991 Structures lost! UPDATE 1/3 Suspected Source of Fire Here: • Boulder County Sheriff...
UPDATE1/8/22 More actual fire fight footage: • As first homes burned,...
LINKS:
Wildfire Today (Bill Gabbert):wildfiretoday.com/
Structures List: assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-c...
WXChasing Aftermath: • Louisville, Co First l...
Mountain Wave Scholarly work: mountainscholar.org/bitstream...
Theme: "Weightless" Aram Bedrosian www.arambedrosian.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=529500... 
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1/3/2022 UPDATE: Suspected source of the fire explained here: ruclips.net/video/yZCbxnS3N6Q/видео.html
My brother was traveling back to CA from our house in Boulder that morning. He got gas at the Superior Costco, then went west on Marshal drive, west towards Hwy 93, and ran into dense smoke as he rolled into Marshall. He said there were fire trucks already there and one behind him, so he continued to 93, but the smoke he observed, was located in Marshall, and appeared to be confined to a single property. The fire did not start at the nearby, open space trail head.
Great the neighbor used his 1A camera 🇺🇸
seeing that, it's also possible the wind triggered the fire with improperly stored materials. everyone's probably seen some crazy stuff happen with 100 mph winds
#BouldeRADo duude... allegedly started by the 12 tribes cult which runs the yellow deli sandwich chain and is trying to breed 100k fire breathing children- i shit you not
FIRE Storm because of the conditions.........
I live in the hills outside of Melbourne, Australia.
My area is one of the most fire prone areas in the world, so what we are seeing here in Colorado is very familiar to us in this area.
We were burned out like this about ten years ago; so I know your pain up, close and very personal.
My heart goes out to all our American friends.
While there is nothing I can do to ease your circumstances, at least you are in my thoughts.
May God be with you all.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that when we were fighting our fires, a whole contingent of American firefighters flew in to help.
All of us living in this area remember them and the help they gave us, and they are always remembered with great gratitude.
You must be located somewhere near me. On high alert the last few days, then seeing this in Colorado in the middle of winter is almost impossible to comprehend. Like you, my heart goes out to these poor people, they would have been so totally unprepared for an event like this 💔
Thank you for caring so much to send your message from so far away!
Thanks for caring. I lived a few miles from this. What's wild is we had a snow sty the next day that dropped 8 inches of snow
Thank you for doing this. I have been watching the channel for years but never wanted to be in an episode. My home is in Superior near the Element hotel and is nearly adjacent to homes burned to the foundation. I drove past burning shrubs on the way out of the neighborhood and saw photos of nearby buildings ablaze that night. By a narrow margin my home and kit plane project was spared, successfully defended by the fire fighters.
Thanks Juan. The sheer devastation and tragedy is captured so well by this excellent production. Your ability to provide clear thinking analysis and facts without sensationalising is very much appreciated. I always feel I have gained insights after watching your videos.
It’s looks like it was rich neighborhoods with homes up too 500k fk em.
This is just too awful to comprehend. Sending all the very best to the people of Colorado from Australia 🇦🇺🐨
In California we breathe a collective sigh when the rain comes every year. I did not expect to see anything like this anywhere in the winter
Juan, thanks for the excellent meteorological analysis. I attended UC in Boulder back in the day (1962-65). As a western Colorado farm boy, I never suspected that hurricane force winds existed anywhere in my state. I got an education about that, among other things. Later, as an Army aviator, I learned that a Chinook is also a very noisy and capable helicopter besides a downslope wind. In addition to the dry adiabatic lapse rate, there is a compressive effect of air forced into a valley. One winter on the campus of UC, I saw the temperature raised from negative 22 Fahrenheit to + 40 F in about three hours. The incoming front was a warm one, adding to the temp increase, but I never forgot the effect of the powerful downslope wind. In those days, the area now consumed by fire was mostly open grassland. Fires undoubtedly occurred there before, but not dense housing developments. So sad. Thanks for all you do.
The QUALITY of this video is OUTSTANDING.
I live about 30mn. From here.
Thank you.
About 20 years ago I lived in an apartment in Superior CO, a couple of blocks from where homes were destroyed. One day the Chinooks (winds across the mountains going west to east) caused the same type of very high sustained winds of over 70 mph on a perfectly clear day. My apartment was shaking so bad I thought it would fall apart.
The increased wind speed is caused by the jet stream crossing straight across the Rocky Mountains from west to east at say 40-50 mph (for example) but in the valley on the eastern side of the mountain (where Boulder, Superior, and Louisville CO are located) the winds have to speed up to keep up with the winds going straight across the mountains at the higher altitude. Boulder is about 6,000 ft, but the mountains 15 miles to the east are at about 14,000 feet (much higher than the foothills shown in this video). In other words, the distance the winds have to travel is greater going down through the valley and to the east (compared to straight across at the higher altitude) and therefore the winds going through the valley increase in speed and are sort of being "sucked" by the winds at the higher altitude. This is what causes the extreme wind speed in the valley when the wind speed above at a higher altitude is actually slower. As noted in the video, when the winds move faster, friction is created, and the winds heat up, but that in itself was not a factor in this fire.
A similar thing often happens in downtown Chicago (called the Windy City). When the winds come off Lake Michigan and travel through the tall buildings in downtown Chicago, the winds have to travel further to get around the buildings, and therefore the winds have to increase in speed to keep up with the winds at a higher altitude or to the side of downtown that are traveling in a straight line. So the winds traveling at a straight line (not around the buildings) are "sucking" the winds to travel faster to get through the buildings.
With regard to drought in CO, this is winter time when the grass and trees (except for a few evergreens) are dormant and brown in color and easier to catch fire, and I don't think it would have made a lot of difference unless they had just got some precipitation very recently and were still wet or there was snow on the ground. The dormant grass burns very easily in winter. Much of Colorado below 7,000 feet is a semi-arid climate, so one cannot expect a lot of precipitation even when there is no drought, and it is not unusual for there to be no snow on the ground, because even when it does snow, it often melts rapidly (or evaporates directly from frozen to gas state).
Looking at the video I am not sure about the building materials used in those homes, such as roofs (where they cedar shakes or fiberglass shingles?) or whether some kind of fire retardant composite siding was used instead of real wood siding. Some of the homes looked to be a bit older and may not have had the most fireproof materials used, but I am not sure about that.
Thanks for your info. New to me. It does seem like the altitude roller-coastering curve-path-winds get sucked faster to match up with the shorter distance straight winds. Or like some sort of surface tension, like with liquids, neighboring molecules being pulled up and along. Reminds me of how curved airplane wings create lift.
@@carlcushmanhybels8159 Just what I was thinking and how sails create forward movement in sail boats.
I will never forget as a child living in Boulder my father taping up the windows of our house, especially the large living room window that faced the Flat Irons, and then being woken up in the middle of the night and moved to the kitchen where we slept on the floor while the entire house shook by hurricane force winds. The wind gusts were so incredibly strong and was an extremely scary event.
The level of destruction and its breadth is difficult to grasp even when presented stunning aerial video such as this. Thank you Juan for this update.
This was basically a housing development. It talks more about density and building materials. As Juan said once it gets going there is no stopping it.
NREL operates the National Wind Energy Technology Lab on top of Marshall mesa. That area sees some of the highest sustained wind averages in the USA. Winds that morning were downslope, 290-330 at 70 kts, gusting to 90+ kts (from the NW, 80-104 mph). Very high, but not unusual for the area due to the unique terrain, alignment of flatirons mountains, valleys, etc. The terrain is mostly openspace grassland, tumbleweed, and scrub, with steep-sided canyons 200-300 ft in depth, and flat-top mesas. Although, many high-density subdivisions have been built there over the past two decades (large 2-story houses literally 10 ft apart). Other than a brief shower on 12/24, we hadn't had any precipitation in over 3 weeks. High temps were still in the 50s F. THAT is very unusual for CO. I live in Keenesburg, CO, approx. 20 miles NE of DIA. The fire was approx. 35 miles W of DIA, within a mile of BJC (Rocky Mountain/Jeffco airport). I observed the column of smoke (from Keenesburg) approx 09:30 MST, which rapidly extended east to the horizon (about 90 miles distance). By noon, it had the appearance of a haboob. I took it as such until the sun backlit the smoke, coloring it dark orange. Juan is correct about firefighting efforts. Firetrucks were beyond useless, and air tankers were unable to operate. This was a wind-driven firestorm through open grasslands that engulfed the bordering high-density subdivisions and shopping centers. Very unusual, yet exceptionally damaging.
Thank you Juan for your breakdown. I fly out of kbjc on the edge of the fire area and live in Golden, the next town North. While wind building codes are more strict in Boulder and Jefferson counties there seems to be room for improvement.....that subdivision is relatively new so it’s apparent current codes are lacking. Chicago went to ALL brick after the great fire, perhaps that’s the only answer? We experience chinook winds every year mainly in March. Property values are so high jamming homes on top of each other is the norm. Disaster waiting to happen I’m afraid.
It has been increasingly difficult to fly in the west during summer. Old growth forest fires have caused imc conditions for many days. This problem is not going away soon.
Top notch drone video by Brandon Clement
Wow I had No idea how bad it was. I live in the foot hills of California, and we had a fire burn the top portion of our property this summer. The Difference is houses here are on 5 acre parcels, we are on 15 acres. The space matters a lot. Those fires move fast with out wind. A friend said the Paradise fire moved so fast he and his son escaped with the clothes on their backs. He lost everything including his two semi trucks he hauled equipment with. If there is a fire near your house turn your Air Conditioner or ventilation off. Don’t suck smoke and embers in your house. Oh and don’t be afraid to run a weed eater. I spend a lot of time spraying or running a weed eater or chainsaw. It REALLY paid off this year.
Survived the Camp Fire and the drone footage reminds me of the total devastation to Paradise and lower Magalia. Imagine over 5,000 homes and hundreds of businesses destroyed in a day -- by the same type of wind-driven fire event. It boggles the mind. Thanks for explaining the climactic effects of the mountains.
Here's a link to one of numerous videos that Juan did on the Camp Fire: ruclips.net/video/3LxWKaiZ5o4/видео.html.
The campfire the Colorado fire the Australian fire these are all intentionally done just look at the devastation
@Quincey Carr The Camp Fire was not "intentionally done". It was a trifecta of strong north winds blowing down through a river canyon, excessive dry brush and timber due to lack of proper forest management and power lines in disrepair sparking the fire. If you have evidence, not conjecture, of "deliberate" starting of this fire then present your evidence.
Just read an update that one of the missing has been located, 2 still unaccounted for. That is 2 too many. Prayers for all and thank you Juan for your much professional and respectful updates.
Thank you for covering this tragedy. I live SE of Denver. We had high winds for at least two days prior to the Marshall Fire. Colorado has a history of wildfires. The Marshall Fire was a different animal as it entailed a highly populated urban area. Thoughts and prayers for everyone - humans and animals - affected by this event.
I am shocked by the amount of distruction....It doesn't seem possible. I learned something today especially about weather and mountain areas. Excellent rerporting Juan and Thanks!
13:00 minute mark looks like a battlefield right out of WW1. Maybe cold Midwest isn't so hard to put up with. Don't need excitement like that.
Extremely tragic events, my heart goes out to all the folks that lost homes and all of their belongings..
My crew and I were over there (we’re a primarily structure fire engine from Boulder and were working our normal 48 hour shift) for a bit and it was hell on earth. We had been calling this season “Cold Summer,” as the weather here has been super dry and quite warm (compared to normal)…periodic high winds are normal here (I’m sure you’ve experienced this flying in and out of DEN), but this event was off the charts…
Nice work out there. -1800
Bless you Firefighter - You guys did a heroic job in the middle of Hell. I saw that fire and will die remembering it.
Another excellent post Juan. I was a wildfire smoke jumper in my wild and crazy years. Working wind driven fires were the both the biggest adrenaline rush and terrifying times of my life. On five occasions, my team lost our trucks and equipment to fires that moved faster than we could. Lost two friends to this work.
Yeah , I have a son who lives in Broomfield . That afternoon I caught that Lousville had lost over 580 homes . He hadn't told us about it , though he had watched it progress towards him all day . I posted the News report of it on our family FB page . He saw it right after and said , yeah . I didn't want to tell you guys , and have you worry . Then he started posting video's and pictures from his deck . He said the winds were just unbelievable earlier . One of his employee's lost her house . It is a end house in that hard hit , subdivision . He posted today that the NG are using the old Macy's building at the Flat Iron Mall in Broomfield . He did NOT lose anything , thank God . Horrible , horrible deal . He said the people did not have any time to get but a few things before they had to get out of their homes . Unreal !! Be safe out there folks ... Gubs
Thanks Juan. I live about three miles due south of this fire in Arvada. This was the most smoke I have ever seen and the fire glowed intensely up until about 10 P.M. I has been established that the power lines were all intact after crews could inspect them. Local News KUSA 9 News has shown a shed fire to the west of the fire about the time the fire started. This was a neighbor in a urban area and the possibility of such a large scale calamity was just not even believed possible. Wind speeds were so high (90>) that residents had only minutes to collect valuables from their homes before the fire engulfed them. Many have lost everything. VUCU Brother.
Yes the video is up on you tube of the shed it had what appears a steel frame so it may be a utility shed as homeowners shed are lumber frames and did not see a nearby home.
We live in southeast Nebraska, felt that nasty wind throughout the day/night. Surrounding the town are thousands of acres of dry bean and corn stalks. These wind events scare us also, from downed power lines to someone flicking out a cigarette. Just got a little snow, so we can breathe a little easier. Thanks for all you do!!!
So crazy that it was the worst in terms of property loss but very small in terms of actual size.. just shows how dangerous it can be to live on the cusp of the urban/wildland interface
Brilliant! Historically it is a small fire but just damaged more property. We shouldn't talk rubbish about largest fires!
Wow. This reminds me of that one in the hills by Oakland all those years ago. I feel really sorry for these folks.
My son had accepted a new position and was looking at homes in Superior. Real estate agent told him, “I have to tell you that you cannot get fire insurance, as it pertains to range fires”. Well, then…thanks for showing us the house…this was this past July.
I hope all affected get financial relief in some form…
Excellent reporting Juan. My wife and I live just south of the fire in Golden, and the wind on Thursday was incredibly strong, and it is amazing that there wasn't more loss of life. Your description of the inability to combat this fire and manage the evacuations was spot-on. Many thanks to the folks responsible for the very decisive and timely action in issuing the evacuation notices. Our prayers go out to all the families who lost homes.
Love the distillation and the clarity of your videos. I always come away informed, educated, and clear. So god damn refreshing.
Great job. This could happen here in South Central Alaska with all the beetle killed spruce trees every ware. Wind gusts of 70 today and at least two aircraft flipped-over at the Palmer Airport.
At the time of the fire, I was hiking in Chimney Gulch above Golden, about 10 miles away. We thought we were sheltered by the mountain, but there were many times that conversation was not possible due to the strength of the wind. The plume of smoke was visible from the trail, and at a certain point began to glow underneath, which indicated a very severe fire. While we are no strangers to high winds in Colorado, these were some of the worst I can recall. Many semi trailers were blown over around the Front Range, and many traffic lights in the area were out, apparently because of the winds. It's worth noting that there were several reported fires in the general area. Whether this is completely true I don't know. To describe local conditions as dry is an understatement. There had been little or no precipitation for 60 or more days. Then yesterday, we got 8 inches of snow. Welcome to Colorado.
Thank you Jaun! Best coverage I have seen of this tragedy!
I live just 8 miles south of this area. Never any danger here, but it was eerie to look north during the fire.
never ...say never
Lived there for 12 years and did worry about the houses being so close to each other, There are thousands of them around Denver with 8 to 10 feet between houses. May make them rethink zoning requirements.
It should make them rethink... But there's so much money to be made packing houses close together, in scenic areas; and demand.
Something just seems amiss to me on this. Human activity appears to be what started it. It is amazing how many fires are started by human activity.
This fire reminds me of our Paradise fire a few years back where the entire city including structures, car, etc was not just destroyed but incinerated. Fast moving wild fires typically do not incinerate everything. so, I am very circumspect.
They do with 115 mph winds.
I usually look forward to watching your videos but unfortunately not today. My son and several of my friends lost their homes to this fire. It’s a surreal and unbelievable situation. Really hard to believe this is real. Unfortunately, it is! If you feel compelled to help their are many ways to donate online.
@@oddvardmyrnes9040 home insurance is required and should cover the loss. Likely not 100% of everything lost physically. And of course 0% of all the emotional trauma caused and the lost items with memories and meanings.
I’m so sorry for your son and friends losing their homes. Hopefully you can help him get a new home and replace some of his belongings.
Juan hard to believe 1000 buildings and homes. Also 17 ft. of snow unbelievable but much needed for Orville. Also unbelievable 10 days with no electricity. How will folks in your state be able to survive on all the battery powered tools and vehicles coming soon with no secured incoming power. Also unbelievable photos.
Thank you for the update, and like no one else can do.
Thanks, Juan.
I look forward to your reports on air crashes and mishaps, to wildfires.
Your perspective and resources are well appreciated. Plus your reporting style.
Happy New Year.
Thanks for your work here. Unfathomable. My thoughts are with these folks. This was very reminiscent of Paradise.
My best friend lost his home to this fire. They were lucky and saw it coming, so they packed their car.
Thank you for covering this Juan. As a Colorado native and 50 year resident, I’ve never witnessed anything like this before. Colorado weather can certainly be extreme, but this was the most powerful wind I’ve ever seen. Hurricane force. So sad.
I was raised near Eldorado Springs, CO. This is horrific, such a tragedy, so many people displaced, homes lost, memories lost, etc. This is devastating for so many. My family is safe, nearby, and I live in Florida. This is my home turf, memories of my youth. God Bless, protect, restore these people and the structures they call 'Home'!
Thanks for keeping us informed, this hasn't made our news in the UK.
Happy New Year to you and you family, and to all viewers.
The people impacted by this will be in my prayers, hopefully the three missing will be found safe and well.
My sympathies to those who have lost everything. These are pictures so often seen here in Australia this time of year . I was really surprised to hear this news coming from a place usually under snow around this time.
Juan, Thank you for your great (as always) coverage of the fire. I especially appreciate your explanation of the cause of the Chinook winds. I lived in the area from about 1980-2000 and experienced those winds frequently, usually in the winter- Jan or Feb. but never knew what caused them. I lived there in 82 when the max gust was 137 MPH. Truly sounded like a train coming through and destruction was everywhere, splintered and shattered buildings, power poles, glass auto dealerships. Truly a scary night. But to have the winds combined with fire- nothing could stop those flames. So so sad for all those who lost everything. Sad to see I place I've loved so much with so much destruction. Prayers and love to all affected.
It was very windy that morning. We were scheduled to play tennis, but couldn't because the wind was too strong and balls were blowing sideways. That was at 10:00 AM, the fire is said to have started around 11:00 AM. I went to the University of Colorado and I don't believe warm winds come out of the mountains. The difference in temperature is due to warm sunshine. We do get Chinook winds but they come from the South. I think there was a barometric pressure difference that was driving the winds.
Heart wrenching fire, I work in Broomfield and seen and smelled the fire/smoke soon after it started. We were evacuated around 3pm MDT. Fortunately the building I work in was spared. My heart goes out to all affected by this fire.
We had a fire near us in 2007 where the fireline was moving 1 mile every 70 seconds. We had Santa Ana winds with windspeeds approaching 100mph at times. It was heading right toward my house before it turned due to the geography causing a change in the wind direction. That fire utimately burned around 4,000 homes if I recall correctly.
Since it was driven by Santa Ana's it was going basically the opposite direction (generally east to west).
Hi Juan, Good Reporting and the drone footage was remarkable. Some additional information has become available since you released this video. The peak wind gust was 110mph located on the north edge of the fire. Within the last hour the sheriff has reported that one of the three missing people (a male) has been located outside of the burn area. The commuter lot and powerlines are essentially ruled out as a source of ignition at this time. The warrant was to search a shed on private property. Federal officials are now involved in locating the source of ignition. According to the sheriff " A foot of snow is hampering efforts and the search for the cause of the fire will take time and will not be rushed because of its importance.". Water has been shut off to the area to prevent further damage to pipes because of the expected low temperatures of the next several days. Electric and gas lines will be re-established within 3-5 days. One hospital was saved from fire which crept within fifty feet of the oxygen plant but now will remain closed indefinitely due to smoke damage.
When I lived on Camp Pendleton as a Marine, on the Santa Ana days when there was a fire, it would move a a fast run pace across the ground and there was nothing we could do about it. We would just get out of the way and hope no one got killed by it. Fire lines didn't even slow it down. Thanks for all the great content and keep safe out there.
There is a video show locally of a shed burning along 93 where the fire originated from and that is the area where the search warrant was done. I live about 20 miles south of the burn area. There were winds recorded of 115mph along highway 93. I have seen wind charts showing winds mostly from the west but there was strange wind direction shifts in that valley. Things were chaotic around here during the event.
Thank you Juan for all you do. My heart goes out to all the one effected by these fires. God Bless!!
Two weeks ago we had wind driven grass fires in western Kansas. Not as populated as the Boulder area, but total devastation of ranches, homes, livestock, etc.
MAN, that is some unreal footage! Prayers for all those affected by this. The one home standing was just amazing. I've seen this same thing happen in tornado damaged areas first hand, since we had a pretty big one roll through southern central MA several years back. I'd feel a sense of guilt if it were my home, and all my neighbors were burned out or smashed to rubble! Crazy how that works.
I couldn't live that close to someone, and I was born and raised in MA where 80% of living is this way. I like liking my neighbors! No fun when their problems become your problems, as in the case of fire, or anything else for that matter. But, this is what cities and towns love - raking in that tax revenue, maximizing that acerage. I hate this kind of construction.
It is a miracle that they were able to get almost everyone out. This could have been way more tragic. Over 1000 homes with an average 2 adults, 2 kids X 1000....
As he specifically mentioned the number is not houses, it's 991 "structures" that was destroyed, though there was an additional 127 structures that was damaged.
Structures includes sheds, stand-alone garages and lots of other things, exactly how many HOMES were involved is still unknown but clearly smaller than that number.
That doesn't mean there wasn't a significant number of people at risk but assuming 2x2x1000 isn't very realistic.
I lived in Boulder for a few years. I noted how closely packed some of the new housing developments were…
I think at one time or another in my lifetime I have had friends and family members who have lost homes to fires. My dad was a fireman with the Greensboro Fire Department for 30 years. He saw destruction first hand and it's devastating impact on families. Yes it reminds me of the wildfires that hit Northern California in 2018. It just makes you sick. Fire. Tornado, Hurricane destruction. It is mind boggling to see all these structures so close together and all that is left is outlines.
I have never witness what mass destruction what a wind driven fire can do but I have seen what a powerful Hurricane can do. I saw what Hurricane Katrina did in Pascagoula MS in August 2005. My church in Raleigh sent a group of people to Pascagoula to help some families rebuild their houses.
I'm 1001 and 1051 structural/ wildland interface trained. This is a disaster, it is hugely impressive that there are only 3 people missing. Such a hot and fast moving fire could have been much worse.
Hi Juan, Thanks for your coverage of this event. Destruction in towns & cities, now. Not just in or near the forests. About 2 weeks prior to this event, we had another wind driven event ( near 100 mph ) in advance of a cold front. It appeared like a giant wave coming out of the mountains. There is video of the event. Quite striking. I live not far from Boulder. Very nice weather 98% of the time.
Juan, what are you NOT an expert in?! If you weren’t already married, I would ask! No, seriously, I so admire not only your knowledge, but your passion and willingness to explain/research it for us. Damn brilliant, you ask me! My favorite channel no matter the subject!
Many grasses are known as 1-hour fuel. That means within 1-hour of precipitation stopping, they are able to burn. The drought may not have helped with some of the larger vegetation, but the fire likely still would have happened due the prevalence of those grasses.
Those Foehn or downslope winds are the same phenomena largely responsible for the Seattle "Heat Dome" event and the "hottest ever temperature in Antartica" a few years ago (that was on the northernmost peninsula).
I was hoping to see you cover this. Thank you for the quality reporting.
Thanks for the explanation of why this fire was so destructive. Terrible tragedy for those folks. I am not far from the tornado damaged area in Kentucky. We got lucky thanks to geography. Never take things for granted.
I imagine these fires would have a dramatic effect on insurance rates. Houses in the UK subject to flooding are virtually uninsurable, adding to the trauma of the residents. My heart goes out to them, it is unimaginable..
My friend who has rebuilt in Paradise, California, is having to use the California FAIR plan, as she cannot get any other insurance.
Thanks for the coverage of the Colorado fires.
I've lived about 4 miles south of the fire for over 40 years. We were expecting a cold front and snow the following day and the view I had of the smoke cloud made me believe for a couple hours it was the storm front arriving a bit early. I have seen several storm systems come in looking just like that smoke cloud over the years, wind driven dust and snow, we couldn't smell it because the wind was blowing it due east. It appears there was a small shed burning about 3 or 400 yards north of the trail head you pointed out and someone caught it on video...being seriously investigated. The "old town" area of Superior was wiped out and if the wind had blown for a few more hours, I believe well over half of the city of Louisville would have ben lost.
Thank You very much for documenting these sort of events. Best Wishes to You and Yours Juan.
Very good good explanation of a tragic situation. Thanks Juan, for the fine job covering this situation for the rest of us .
Thanks. I was waiting for your take.
Wow... no words for that.
Thanks for the report Juan, and Happy New Year.
Beautifully done Juan, learnt many decades ago from printed matter - we humans have progressed learning from one little computer! Thank you!
Good coverage, Juan! Thank you for your efforts to help put things into perspective.
Apocalyptic landscape. Wow.
You have a great channel. You explained this wind driven event very well. I have been wondering about this and you answered my questions. Brandon's footage is excellent. And I won't say the Brandon phrase but I'm thinking it! Brandon from a great SE state.
Incredible drone footage. Thanks for the coverage. Once again, excellent content
I used to live in Louisville and my kids still do (they're safe). BTW, locals pronounce it LEWIS VILLE, meaning pronouncing the S. Thanks for your coverage!
I grew up in the area, and one of the houses we lived in is the Rock Creek area which lost a number of houses. I can confirm the local phonetic pronunciation of “Lewisville”, with an S.
First off I'm glad your family is safe! Just want to add that I lived in Denver for over a dozen years and I never got used to pronouncing the "S" LOL, still don't!
They’re not ruling out arson. That’s horrible.
Arson or just plain stupidity.
Thank you for your insight about the firefighting water being blown back during the strong winds from the intended areas.
Harper Lake at the NE edge of the fire is a place I go regularly, to sail my RC sailboat.
This was a devastating fire. I feel for all the people who lost their homes and the families who lost loved ones.
Thanks for the update, Captain!
With the intensity and speed of the fire , it's amazing that there is hardly any loss of life after seeing the drone footage and the destruction of the neighborhood.
Thanks, Juan! Always outstanding videos! Love from Austria (EU) 👋
I hope these families get the help they need.
Thank you SO much Juan!! I contacted you because I one you would explain this in a way that others won't or can't. You absolutely took this and ran with it!! The information you provided was exactly what I was asking you for but didn't know it was what i was asking for (did that make sense?) I'm glad I I could help, even though it seems I didn't get much information for you. Thank you so much for everything you do!! Stay safe!!
Thanks Sharon!
I hate to see you 💔 😢 at times like this but you are the best. God bless you and your family. Please stay safe.
This is sad and horrible. My best heartfelt to the people there. So sad. It’s tragic, if human beings caused this huge fire. Here in Europe we can’t imagine of a big firestorm like this. It must be horrible. Thanks Juan for this video, very clear and full of logic information. I like your videos and watch them regularly. Hope the people who lost their homes get help from other people, who will be able to help or donate.
They get those winds often, just the previous day judging from the temperature curve in your graphics. So the spark blow torch is foreseeable. Since the County approved the developments, someone should have been responsible for mowing those fields and creating a 100 yard dirt buffer. Or not. It'd be nice to watch a post on the different ways to fire-wise.
Professor Juan, thanks for the Earth Science course! It is nice to get a quick education in what is really going on. I just flew Dan's DC-3 last Monday, (only Cessna 150's prior to this, big thrill!) I first learned about him from your channel , so thanks for that also!
Excellent!
Excellent video Juan.
I live 5 miles west of there in the mountains… we regularly get 100 mph gusts and those days it was constant for days. With the low levels of precipitation ( no snow to speak of) it is a recipe for disaster. I travel these roads to get to work, and right there, just north of that parking lot you showed (adjacent to), is a compound where a cult lives. I drove by yesterday on the way to Boulder and let’s just say there were many local law enforcement agents there…
I have a number of friends and coworkers that have been displaced, but all their families are safe… we have lots of work to do.
Thank you Juan .
Excellent video Juan!
Man, Mother Nature is on a TEAR!!
Excellent video Juan. The drone shots are incredibly haunting! So much destruction, so many people affected…. 🥺
Thanks Juan. I read where in these wind driven fires the radiant heat is so excessive that it can set internal contents on fire right through the glass like curtains or other fabrics, even wallpaper on an adjacent wall so there does not even have to be an external ignition source to start the next house burning the fire is fanned to such an intensity like a blacksmith's forge blowing air on the fire raises the temperature drastically.
Great analysis of the situation there. I used to live in Denver and can't even explain how devastating this is not just for the people involved but for the whole area, that is just so many displaced families in an area already squeezed for housing.
wow my prayers go out to them. Thanks Juan.
Terrible destruction, God be with you all, prayers for all touched by this horrific event from New Zealand.
I will never forget that day. I watch it in person. I live in Arvada and the wind that day was insane, you could barely stand on your feet and a Discount Tire store literally collapsed down the street from me from the wind!!!
Always a simple work of art. Thank you. I’m seriously considering that you should rewarded also by my support.