On December 30th, two fires in Boulder County — the Marshall Fire and the Middle Fork Fire — broke out in Boulder County, Colorado. While the Middle Fork Fire was contained on December 30th, the Marshall Fire had a large and severe impact on the communities and homes of Boulder County.
As strong winds spread the fire across thousands of acres of Boulder County, this resulted in damage to structures in the Superior and Louisville areas as well the evacuation of thousands of people. Heroic actions by first responders coupled with snowy weather finally put out the Marshall Fire a few days later. Our Colorado neighbors have come together to help with the Boulder County recovery efforts and support one another during this difficult time.
As an air duct cleaning company located in Colorado Springs, Planet Duct knew we had to help the community of Boulder County in any way we could after seeing the damage the fires caused to homes and businesses. By traveling to Superior and Louisville, Planet Duct saw the horrible destruction caused by the fires in these communities. The damage in Superior and Louisville is apparent as over 1,000 homes and businesses burned down due to the Marshall Fire.
Additionally, the houses and businesses that did not burn down were engulfed by smoke from the Marshall Fire, which has contaminated the fresh air intake for these structures. The smoke from the Marshall Fire was partially a result of household chemicals, rubber, plastic, and other dangerous materials burning. When these items burn, it causes the smoke to become carcinogenic. This smoke is harmful to breathe in and thousands of homes and businesses were exposed to this toxic smoke as the fire burned structures throughout Boulder County. This means that the air quality for structures left standing after the Marshall Fire is horrible and dangerous to breathe in due to extreme smoke damage.
Homes and businesses exposed to the smoke from the Marshall Fire have contaminated HVAC systems due to the smoke damage. When smoke is drawn into the air vents, it is distributed throughout the structure making the air quality harmful to breathe in and damaging the ventilation system. Smoke also clings to the air ducts which leaves an odor that can be difficult to get rid of until the ventilation system is cleaned.
As a result, air filters must be changed more frequently and air ducts should be cleaned to ensure the air quality in impacted areas is safe for our Colorado neighbors to breathe. Similarly, as construction to rebuild burned areas begins, it is important to keep in mind the quality of air intake and continue to keep air filters clean, as debris is sure to be stirred up again during the rebuilding process.
In response to the smoke damage to homes and businesses in Boulder County, Planet Duct is partnering with restoration companies to remove smoke from homes, hotels, and businesses that have been impacted by the Marshall Fire. We are focused on assisting the Superior and Louisville communities with smoke damage restoration to restore air filters, clean air ducts, and promote clean air in the homes and businesses of our Colorado neighbors. We continue to work tirelessly to get rid of contaminations in structures affected by the Marshall Fire to get individuals back into their homes and businesses as soon as possible.
