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Tag: Marshall Fire

Marshall Fire Recovery: Expedited Permitting Speeds Rebuilding 

The Marshall Fire in Boulder County shocked everyone with its speed and devastation. Within a few hours it had taken more than 1,200 homes and businesses. After 34 months the recovery is remarkable. The cities of Superior and Louisville, the two most affected, have made a Herculean effort to restore the homes and neighborhoods, accelerating a process that many expected would take years longer.  

“We had to be flexible and work on different creative processes,” said Allison James, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Manager for the Town of Superior. “Time was of the essence and still continues to be.” 

James’ job is one of many created since the fires to help prevent another disaster like it in the future. Superior lost 391 homes and three businesses. As of late October, 271 building permits were issued and 118 homes were completed. Louisville saw 550 properties destroyed, and so far 285 rebuild permits have been issued with another 28 under review. James said that many property owners are still trying to decide what to do after being left without enough to rebuild.  

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“I think those people who were severely underinsured are having a much harder time,” James said. “We reached out to a little over 100 residents who are not in the building process yet. Some have sold the lots and some are still working with their insurance companies to close the gap and some are still on the fence.”  

Unforeseen issues, beyond more expensive code requirements and modern construction standards, like large, expensive retaining walls that are essential on steeply sloping lots, were omitted from property values and have complicated the decision of whether to rebuild or sell and move on.  

“People who aren’t rebuilding and are selling their lot are usually underinsured,” said Bartley Cox, who lost his Louisville home of 28 years. “There have been some issues with the retaining walls. Some are looking at $300,000 each to rebuild the retaining walls. This is one of the problems with insurance coverage. Some people didn’t even know they owned the retaining walls and were unaware they were responsible for rebuilding it. Some of the walls are owned by two properties. No one considered it would burn.”  

Cox said the claims process with his insurer required a long education and time commitment to recover enough funds to rebuild, but he still isn’t sure it’s enough. He estimates the value of his 8,000 square-foot lot, with excellent Flatiron views, is about $500,000. Construction bids to replace the home are coming in at $1.4 million or more, which exceeds his insurance. However, new homes built on burned lots are selling for upwards of $600 per square foot, while homes saved from destruction but remodeled are selling for around $450 per square foot.  

READ: Revolutionizing Emergency Dispatch — How Locution Systems Fights Fires with Voice

The cities have not tallied exactly who has rebuilt and who has sold their lot and moved on, but as of November 1 there are a dozen lots listed for sale in Louisville with 71 sold since the fire. In Superior there two dozen lots for sale and 35 closed since January 2021.  

Every burned home has residents with a different perspective, and those who have rebuilt may realize a boon from the higher value of their homes. Despite the difficulties, the overall feeling is that the cities and Boulder County made the necessary concessions and expedited normally ponderous bureaucracy to help people obtain permits and rebuild within their budgets.

Those who stayed were allowed to rebuild under older codes lacking more stringent energy efficiency requirements, and ironically, fire prevention remedies like pricey fire sprinkler systems that are now required under the 2022 code. However, this applied only to original homeowners. Anyone purchasing lots was required to design their buildings to meet the newer building and energy codes.  

“The city was good to work with,” Cox said. “They were good at communicating with the homeowners and builders. They are all ears when it comes to focus groups: What are the questions and problems? They made an effort to tackle them.”

A perspective on wildfires  

It was late in 2003 when I first wrote about wildfires. The Pumpkin Fire and Cerro Grande Fire broke out in New Mexico and threatened to take out the Los Alamos Nuclear Research Lab. In a story for Outside Magazine, I spent the summer with a hotshot crew out of Rocky Mountain National Park and wrote about the sense of amazement at the size and speed of the 47,000-acre blaze that burned 245 homes which, at the time, was a staggering loss. We had no idea it was just foreshadowing the next 20 years.  

Despite our experience of the last two decades, the Marshall Fire was something no one in Boulder could imagine. More than 1,200 homes, hotels and businesses and hundreds of millions of dollars in city infrastructure was torched. At the time, REColorado and IRES, the two main multiple listing services in Colorado, listed slightly more than 1,900 single-family homes for sale along the entire Front Range. Rentals were also in tight supply, forcing the unexpectedly homeless to scramble for a place to live.  

It’s been 34 months since the fire was contained and as with every situation like this, there are winners and losers. The underinsured took whatever the insurance company offered, sold their land and moved on. Investors jumped at the chance to build new homes in an area in great demand and those with the resources rebuilt homes that are better than new. Today we live in a world of rapidly changing climate where wildland fires are no longer limited to mountain communities. Parks and open space throughout our Front Range communities are looked at with wariness and now have their own special plans for managing what could lead to another citywide disaster. 

 

Steve Titus was a freelance writer for ColoradoBiz, Colorado Homes and Lifestyles, Outside, Sail and  Ski magazines. He has also written for The Denver Post  and many other publications. Today he is a licensed real estate broker and licensed general contractor in Denver, Boulder and several other Front Range cities. 

Affected by the Marshall Fire? What To Do After Filing a Fire Insurance Claim

Boulder County’s Marshall Fire ravaged homes, businesses, buildings, and other properties in Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County on December 30, 2021. It turned into Colorado’s most costly wildfire to date, with preliminary loss estimates of at least $2 billion.  

In less than 24 hours, the Marshall Fire obliterated 1,089 homes and significantly damaged another 149. Property owners have submitted insurance claims and are now dealing with the claims process. 

If your home was destroyed or damaged in the Marshall Fire or any other fire, you might wonder what to do after a fire insurance claim. While reporting the fire claim to your insurer is an essential step that should be taken as soon as possible, your job doesn’t end there.  

Under your insurance policy, you must take other actions that protect your right to recover. Experiencing a house fire can be devasting and overwhelming. But it’s important to take these necessary steps to ensure a recovery to the fullest extent allowed by your policy during this difficult time. 

Communicate and Continue to Follow Up with the Insurance Carrier 

Once you have reported your claim, communication with the insurance carrier is critical. The adjuster assigned to your case should call you and schedule a time to come out and inspect the damage. If you are asked to provide additional documentation or proof of your damages, do so promptly, to the fullest extent possible. Your insurer should keep you updated on where your claim is in the process and what you should expect. If at any time you feel like they are intentionally or unreasonably delaying your claim, it’s time to reach out for legal help.

Take Pictures and Videos 

Whether you use a cell phone or a different camera, get pictures and videos of the damage to your property. Be sure to document both the inside and outside, paying close attention to any specific areas with substantial damage. You should also take pictures and videos of what is left of your belongings to show the extent of your losses. For fires, you will also want to include pictures of any smoke damage.  

Gather Old Photos and Videos 

To the extent you can retrieve pre-fire photos and videos of your property and belongings, gather them and provide them to your insurance company.  This helps to document what you had before the fire versus what has been lost.  It will also assist in placing an accurate value on personal property and your home’s finishes. 

Put Together an Inventory 

With the assistance of memory, pre-fire photos and videos, and talking with your loved ones, put together a spreadsheet of the personal property you believe you have lost.  To the extent you can, place a dollar value on each item or category of losses.  If you can identify the specific item lost, it can be helpful to search the internet for links to that item for sale today and copy them into your spreadsheet. This is time consuming and painful, but it is necessary. If you do this right, the insurance company is less likely to underestimate your losses. 

Get Everything in Writing 

Unfortunately, you can’t just take the insurance company or adjuster’s word for it. Whatever they tell you, get it in writing. If they provide you with a settlement offer, get it in writing and read it carefully. Anything they tell you should be documented so that you have a paper trail of everything that has occurred since the start of your claim. Put your communications to the insurance company in writing. Get your adjuster’s email address and send communications directly. You may need these records to back up something you were told, or that you told the adjuster. If it comes to it, such documentation will be helpful in any subsequent legal action you are forced to take against the company if it doesn’t act in good faith to settle your fire damage claim fairly and promptly.

Talk to an Insurance Claims Attorney Before Signing Anything 

As a claimant, you have the right to hire an attorney or to file a legal action when the insurance company violates these rights. The claims adjuster might act like they may be trying to save the insurance company money, but paying you fairly for your claim without any delays is counter to the insurer’s bottom line.  

Don’t blindly sign anything the insurance company gives you without first reviewing it with an experienced insurance claims attorney. The documents they ask you to sign may be filled with insurance and legal jargon that could jeopardize your rights without you even knowing what you are signing. Protect your claim by being an informed consumer with a legal advocate on your side. 

 

Zachary Warzel Headshot 2 2Zach Warzel, from the law firm of Keating Wagner Polidori Free, PC, has represented personal injury and bad faith clients since 2005. He focuses on representing insurance policyholders and complex personal injury clients. His notable cases include a $4.8M jury verdict against a supplemental health insurance company and a $2.2M jury verdict against a liability insurance carrier. Mr. Warzel has argued cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Mr. Warzel was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in American in the area of Insurance-Litigation in 2018 and 2022.

How FirstBank Is Helping Marshall Fire Relief Efforts

During the morning of December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes throughout Boulder County, as well as 100 other businesses and structures. Within hours, it became Colorado’s most destructive fire, totaling an estimated $1.6 billion in damage.

FirstBank has been a part of Boulder County for decades. The people impacted are our colleagues, friends and family members. It’s where many of us grew up and continue to raise our children. So it was never a question whether we’d help. Like other organizations, we knew immediately we wanted to do everything possible to support this community’s healing. 

For one, Boulder County is our home, and “banking for good” is our mantra. It reflects nearly 60 years of doing what’s right for our communities, customers, and employees, and it often means helping those who need it most. In other words, it’s not the first time we’ve come to the aid of those negatively impacted by disasters, economic downturns, social and financial inequities, and other life events. It won’t be the last either.

FirstBank has been a part of Boulder County for decades. The people impacted are our colleagues, friends, and family members.

While we recognize this is just a few steps in the right direction, here’s a glimpse of what FirstBank is doing to help area residents, customers and team members affected by the Middle Fork and Marshall fires:

Boulder County Wildfire Fund Contribution

FirstBank contributed $250,000 to provide financial assistance to individuals most impacted. The money is available to those whose homes were damaged, destroyed or who lost businesses, tools and wages due to the destruction of the fire. The fund also allocates resources for trauma counseling and other mental health support.

Volunteer Time Off Increase

FirstBank increased paid volunteer time off (VTO) for its employees in an effort to assist fire relief initiatives. This translates to 24 hours of paid VTO per employee, or over 60,000 hours companywide, so team members could continue supporting causes they’re passionate about, and help with disaster relief efforts.

Care Packages

Many of our customers were among those displaced. To help, we assembled care packages containing vouchers towards food, clothing and other essentials. So far, FirstBank has distributed over 70 packages.

Employee Relief Fund

Along with our corporate contribution to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund, we also created a relief fund, where FirstBank and its employees could contribute to help colleagues affected by the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires. Nearly $65,000 was raised and distributed among evacuated team members.

Helping Rebuild

FirstBank Officers recently volunteered at the Boulder Valley Build Expo to educate impacted individuals on the rebuilding and construction loan process. In addition to coming up with unique lending solutions, FirstBank is currently working on a special financing program for Marshall Fire victims who need to rebuild their homes and were underinsured. While this is still in the early stages and we can’t provide many details yet, we’re hoping to supply information in the coming months.

colorado boulderFirstBank is continuing to evaluate local needs and are committed to helping our customers, colleagues, and neighbors heal. You see: “banking for good” is about manifesting something more powerful than words. It’s something we’ll continue to uphold during hard times like the Marshall Fire, because we’ve seen firsthand how it can help us come out stronger – as a company and as a community. To learn more about the Boulder County Wildfire Fund, or to get involved with the relief effort, visit: Boulder County Wildfire Fund.

 

 

Chad Mitchell FirstBankChad Mitchell is the President of FirstBank’s Boulder County Market and has been with the bank since 2001. As Market President, he oversees several FirstBank branches as well as all commercial, construction, and consumer lending across Boulder County.

With an extensive background in nonprofit work, Chad currently serves as the Board Chair of Brothers Redevelopment Inc.