BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is providing an up-close look at the frantic evacuations that took place as the Marshall Fire began to engulf parts of Boulder County.
On Dec. 31, the Marshall Fire destroyed roughly 1,000 structures across Louisville and Superior, and hundreds more were left severely damaged.
Thursday evening, the sheriff's office posted eight videos of the ordeal.
On one of the videos, a deputy evacuating the Costco in Superior can be heard yelling, "Move now. Leave your stuff. Go. The fire is at the back. Go."
Another deputy is seen driving directly towards a neighborhood where flames are closing in.
"Ma'am, you have to evacuate. Let's load up and let's go," the deputy said after hurriedly knocking on the woman's door.
Other videos detail law enforcement safely relocating pets and animals.
One deputy approaches a woman who conveys in Spanish that she doesn't have transportation. The deputy guides her to get inside the back of his patrol car.
The cause of the Marshall Fire is still under investigation, and Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has indicated finding the exact cause could take weeks to months.
The origin of the fire is believed to have started in a neighborhood off of Colorado Highway 93 and Marshall Road in unincorporated Boulder County. Witnesses in that neighborhood have provided video of some of the earliest moments of the fire.
Near the intersection sits a compound for the religious sect, The Twelve Tribes. Pelle has confirmed the sect's property is part of the investigation but added that other nearby areas were under investigation as well.
Dispatch records obtained by Denver7 revealed controlled burns have happened at least 12 times on the property since 2019.
Denver7 also confirmed Mountain View Fire Rescue was called to the Twelve Tribes property for a trash fire six days before the Marshall Fire. The burn was deemed legal.
