Boulder County plans to release Marshall Fire cause & origin report "likely early in the new year"
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the Marshall Fire nearly one year after it destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Investigators released some new details in the ongoing probe to find out what happened leading up to the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office also "plans to complete the investigation in the near future, likely early in the new year. After the final investigation and review is completed, the Sheriff's Office will release the cause and origin report."
Some people who lost their homes in the Marshall Fire are starting to move into their new homes this week while others have opted to sell their property or are facing delays in construction due to insurance and permitting issues.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is working with experts, state and federal agencies and the district attorney's office to review all findings. To date, they have followed up on more than 200 tips associated with the fire, not including first responders who were part of the initial report of the fire.
Video from more than 266 body-worn cameras and 450 photos from those body cameras are part of the investigation. In addition to the videos and photos, the sheriff's office has collected 186 items of evidence, including 49 physical items and 137 pieces of digital evidence such as drone footage used to document the scene as well as photos taken by witnesses and investigators. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said that each digital item could be a single photograph or video or a series of 200 photos and videos.
According to investigators, they are required to review the following for potential causes:
-Lightning
-Equipment use such as mechanical failure of a vehicle or equipment usage without a spark arrestor
-Smoking or cigarettes thrown from a vehicle
-Campfires in the area
-Debris burning
-The use of fireworks
-Children playing with matches
-Potential underground coal mine fires
-Electrical supply infrastructure
-And other possible sources such as welding, grinding, and target shooting
On Thursday, the sheriff's office released 60 additional body worn camera videos from the Marshall Fire that was captured on Dec. 30, 2021 east of Cherryvale Road.
The footage captured west of Cherryvale Road will not be released until the final cause and origin are released.
Earlier this year, Boulder County released some footage from body camera video that shows the urgency of deputies trying to get people to safety to escape the flames.
