Target in Superior on fire.
In just a couple of hours more homes have been burned in this fire than any other in CO history.
Man, this is really sad. I worked on Mccaslin right in Louisville for a good three plus years and thinking that everything I used to frequent there may not exist tomorrow is kind of scary. Ts & Ps to everyone out there.
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It has been a surreal day up in NW Arvada. Clocked 110mph just outside the neighborhood and we were all worrying about losing shingles but then we started seeing the smoke from up north. Fortunately not looking like any of the fires will come our way but we preemptively evacuated to the in laws place. So all that said, unfortunately not in a position to offer up space tonight, but if anyone needs meals tonight or supplies or a place to stay in the coming days or weeks, please let me know.
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Been worried about you over in Candelas.
Good call.
I’m happy to help with meals, supplies, and anything else that is needed. Let us know.
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Thanks… So far, we are still only under pre-evac but the zones keep moving south. That said, unless there is a new fire or a major wind shifts to the south we are looking alright but still not comfortable.
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Pretty much the entire neighborhood to the east of Coal Creek Golf Course is gone.
Clubhouse in the left of this first pic.
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Holy sh*t
Serious question: am I crazy to be mega paranoid about wildfires? Between last week and the Calwood fires last year, it’s been hitting a hit too close to home (Boulder) for me.
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This is going to get good.
Possibly started on a Cultish Christian compound with a history of illegal burns.
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Man sure doesn’t feel like it right now. The frequency and severity of shit just keeps increasing, and seems like Boulder is continually in the path (mudslides, fires, etc). I don’t feel particularly comfortable down here in Littleton and we don’t really have a near history of these types of events.
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My worry is that it’s only going to get worse, which freaks me the fuck out.
I’m with you there.
I think it very much depends where you live. If you are in a neighborhood that is by nature, then you should be more worried about wildfires than before. For example, I live next to some large open space. This happened in my neighborhood in 2008. The second picture is houses that are a block away from mine: Fire blackens Green Mountain – The Denver Post. I’ve also been under pre-evaucation in my house in the past 5 years.
I’m definitely more worried than I have been in the past. I never considered what bad winds could do to a fire in the open space by my neighborhood. Our house would probably not stand a chance if a fire started in the open space on a day like last Thursday.
That said, this was still a really bad confluence of rare events:
- Extreme winds
- Not much moisture since June
- A really wet spring, which meant grasses grew and then dried out, providing fuel for the fire
Remove any one of those three and the fire is not nearly as devastating. Fires like this are going to become more common, but they will still be rare.
If you want concrete things to do to make you feel better, there’s a decent amount you can do:
- Make sure your homeowners’ insurance is up to date
- Have a plan for evacuating. For example, we have a box with our important documents that we can grab in 30 seconds and be out. (Another option is a fireproof cabinet or safe.) Having a plan to follow in case this happens is extremely valuable.
- Fire mitigation for your home. This is a good starting place: Wildfire Mitigation - Boulder County.
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I did enough fire mitigation in my parents backyard during high school for an entire lifetime, this will be the responsibility of the future kids no doubt if we ever back up onto some forest / open space
Of course not! You can’t stop the next one from rolling through, but maybe think seriously about how you’d be prepared for such a tragic loss…
- Document all your belongings for insurance claims - video each room in your house and then make a list of belongings, purchase prices or values, etc.
- Check to see what your home insurance coverage has listed as the covered value (it likely doesn’t cover the recent increases in home values or building materials)
- What percentage coverage do you have toward that home value - if it’s not 80% or more you’ll likely only get that percent coverage of all building costs, e.g., 50% of your home value covered = 50% of rebuilding costs covered, whereas if you were at 80% or greater they’ll typically cover the fill cost of a rebuild (within reason)
- Where are your important documents and belongings that would be “must-grab” items if you were forced to evacuate
- Build up that emergency fund for just such a tragic emergency
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Appreciate the replies @Wiant and @DeadMan. We back up to open space, which has made this even scarier, but are starting to think of mitigation tactics we can do to feel more safe.
We put together a important documents box last year that we keep in the mud room if we need to evacuate asap and this past summer I put together a go bag. Overall, I think we’ve set ourselves up well. Still need to do the walkthrough of the house and document everything. Might be a project for this weekend when the kids are napping.
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Another thing to check if you are worried about fires is what type of siding you have. A lot of houses in the 80s through to 1998 were built with basically paper siding (masonite/hardboard/pressboard) which is orders of magnitude more flammable than the fiber cement boards and other siding materials used today.
Quick question for you guys, does anyone know of any “TopGolf-esque” heated driving range bays? I’m trying to hit the range without freezing my nards off. Or maybe even just an indoor range(s) with a trackman or something? Thanks in advance.