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On Thursday afternoon, the Marshall Fire and the much smaller Middle Fork Fire swept through Boulder County, forcing more than 30,000 residents to evacuate the area. Aided by dry, windy conditions, the blazes, which officials say were likely caused by downed power lines, quickly burned through more than 1,000 acres. The Marshall Fire likely destroyed more than 600 homes, a new record for number of dwellings burned by a Colorado wildfire.
In the early hours of Friday morning, 5280 senior staff writer Robert Sanchez saw the destruction caused by the still-burning Marshall Fire firsthand.
The aftermath of the Marshall Fire on the Element Boulder Superior hotel at 1 Marshall Road, just off South McCaslin Boulevard. Photo by Robert Sanchez A burned car at the corner of West Dillon Road and St. Andrews Lane, north of Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville. Photo by Robert Sanchez What remains of a home that backs up to South 88th Street, near the small open space a few dozen yards from the intersection at West Dillon Road in Louisville. Small explosions could be heard in the distance. Photo by Robert Sanchez On Eldorado Lane—immediately northwest of the Louisville Skatepark, on Via Appia Way—no homes were spared. Photo by Robert Sanchez Flames flicker near Eldorado Lane in Louisville, where several cars were burned and no homes were left standing. Photo by Robert Sanchez The remnants of a home on St. Andrews Lane in Louisville burn through the early hours Friday. Photo by Robert Sanchez A burned car rests on Eldorado Lane, a few dozen yards from the intersection at Via Appia Way. Broken mailboxes and other debris littered Eldorado Lane, Larkspur Lane, and Larkspur Court. Photo by Robert Sanchez A charred street sign at the corner of Augusta Drive and St. Andrews Lane in Louisville. Photo by Robert Sanchez
