'The trees were sending projectiles towards my patrol vehicle': Boulder County Sheriff releases first-hand accounts of Marshall Fire first responders

Jun. 8—Detective Leslie Harrison was checking houses and evacuating residents during the Marshall Fire when she felt burning embers hitting her and wind gusting so hard she couldn't see.

"I could feel burning embers hitting my hands and face, heavy smoke and ash making it difficult to see where I was going," Harrison said in a case report. "I felt waves of heated air washing over me and realized the fire was already seconds away from my location."

Hundreds of first responders and law enforcement officers responded to the Marshall Fire on Dec. 30, 2021, evacuating thousands of residents while fighting the fire's spread. The Boulder County Sherriff's Office released case reports Thursday with first-hand accounts of responders at the scene.

Deputy Elizabeth Cantwell-Ray responded to a report of a fire at Foothills Highway and Marshall Road at approximately 11 a.m. After she saw black plumes of smoke and heavy fire, she started evacuating homes along Marshall Road. As she was evacuating residents, she heard dispatch call for all available units to the area.

"My vehicle was engulfed in black smoke with fire on both sides of my car. I was unable to see anything. I stopped my vehicle due to plumes of smoke filling the inside of my patrol vehicle," Cantwell-Ray said. "The trees were on fire on both sides of my patrol vehicle. The trees were sending projectiles towards my patrol vehicle and subsequently hitting my vehicle."

She continued to evacuate residents and came to a house on fire where a woman was standing outside and said her husband was still inside trying to turn the power off.

"I ran to the garage through cloud smoke. While running I was hit with a tarp which was on fire. It covered me knocking me to the ground," Cantwell-Ray said. "The husband came out of the garage pulled the flaming tarp off and assisted me up."

Deputy Robert Seifert responded to Superior and helped with evacuations and road closures.

"As I was driving southbound east of the new build homes in Old Town a wind gust started blowing debris, dirt and small rocks," Seifert said. "The wind was so strong I could see windows on vehicles getting busted out upon impact from the blowing objects as the people were trying to flee."

Deputy Eric Blandford was patrolling in Superior at about 8 p.m. when he heard someone screaming near Marshall Road and South 76th Street.

"Upon arrival to the area I located an Asian male, approximately 50 to 60 years of age screaming at the sky. He had no shoes on, gray sweatpants, blue hooded sweatshirt and multiple burns on his hands and body," Blandford said. "The male seemed confused and kept pointing at fires and the sky."

Blandford said the man did not speak English, but he knew the man needed medical attention, so he brought him to the command post located at the Flatiron Crossing shopping center where he was released to medical personnel for assessment and treatment.

Deputy Peter Markusen was patrolling in Boulder County when he saw what looked like fresh smoke coming from the Spanish Hills. He was then informed there were several houses in the neighborhood that had livestock in immediate peril from the fire.

After popping gates open, cutting through electric fencing and saving multiple horses and other animals, Markusen was told there were more horses trapped on Panorama Drive, which was completely engulfed in flame and smoke.

"Conditions made it very perilous to attempt to recover the horses, I told the Mounted Patrol that it would be dangerous, and if I decided we need to turn around they needed to immediately follow me out of the neighborhood," Markusen said. "They agreed, we went up Panorama Drive, and located at the end of the road we found the horses stuck in the corral. Mounted Patrol was able to remove the horses from the stable and get them safely into the horse carrier, and we left the area."

For more first-hand accounts or information on the fire, visit bouldercounty.gov/safety/sheriff/news-and-information/marshall-fire-documents-of-interest/