The most destructive wildfire in Colorado history

AccuWeather

Four years after the Marshall Fire devastated communities near Boulder, Colorado, a look back reveals a familiar warning sign this season: an unusually dry winter pattern with delayed snowfall.

Transcript

00:00Four years ago this week, Colorado experienced the most destructive wildfire in state history.

00:09On December 30th, 2021, what began as a grass fire in Boulder County exploded into the Marshall

00:14Fire, racing into the communities of Superior and Louisville in less than an hour. Hurricane

00:20forced wind gusts, some topping 100 miles per hour, drove flames through the bone-dry grasslands

00:26after months of drought and an unusually snowless start to the winter. That winter pattern looks

00:31familiar. In 2021, Denver didn't record its first measurable snowfall until December 10th,

00:37the latest on record, just three-tenths of an inch. And that was the only snow on the ground

00:41until December 31st, when a more significant storm finally arrived, helping firefighters

00:46gain control. By the time the fire was fully contained on January 7th, 2022, more than a

00:51thousand homes had been destroyed, along with several commercial buildings. Despite the scale

00:55of the disaster, officials said it was remarkable that only two lives were lost, thanks in part

01:00to a rapid evacuation of nearly 50,000 people. This season hasn't been much different. In

01:052025, Denver saw its second-latest first measurable snowfall on record on November 29th, just two-tenths

01:11of an inch. While snow totals have improved since, the pattern of delayed snowfall and extended

01:16dry stretches has raised similar concerns. The Marshall Fire remains a powerful reminder that winter

01:21doesn't always mean lower fire risk, especially when strong winds, dry fuels, and delayed snowfall

01:26all come together. For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubag.

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