Fire blazing, houses smoldering and nature disintegrating. Climate change is striking once again. On December 30, 2021, fires erupted outside of Denver, Colorado and forced over 30,000 people to flee from their homes and businesses in northern Colorado. This fire, which is now called the Marshall firestorm, has destroyed an estimated 1,000 homes so far and continues to pose threats for the residents. These fires were sparked after a dry fall season and a lack of snow this winter. Wildfires have already impacted many people in the state and continue to do so. While these fires tend to be devastating to most in the area, the precautions and systems that the state of Colorado has in place are said to have decreased some potential damage and loss of life. “We know that many people had just minutes to evacuate and if that was successfully pulled off by all of the affected families—that is really quite a testimony to preparedness and emergency response,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis said. Some estimate that this wildfire has caused $513 million in damage asofnowanditissaidtobethe most expensive wildfire that Colorado has experienced thus far. Investigators are currently looking for the cause of these fires and it is reported that they have trimmed down their search to a singular neighborhood in the Boulder area. “This was consuming football field lengths of land in seconds,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said. “This was a horrific event.” Colorado leaders are now reflecting on the structure of different cities and how they potentially will need to change due to these climate change disasters. People assumed that suburban areas were a safer distance from the fires, however, the Marshall firestorm has proven those assumptions wrong. “One problem is climate change, the warming. Another is that more homes are built in the line of fire,” University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch said. “We need to rethink how we are building in flammable places. And, we have been building homes that are flammable.” This firestorm comes after a series of fires that have caused destruction throughout the state during the year of 2021. There was a reported number of 337 total fires during the year and around 42,200 total acres were burned. There were limited deaths due to these fires, however, many businesses and homes were partially or even completely destroyed bythe raging flames. Residents have been on the front lines of these fires and have experienced devastation because of them. “I just drove through a wall of flames. The bumper is melted off in the front of the van,” Colorado resident Tom Neur said. These firestorms have affected many people and continue to show their devastation. As of January 9, one person, Robert Sharpe, is confirmed dead and several others are still missing after the Marshall firestorm. There were no initial reports of fatalities, however, this is an evolving issue. Watch national news and read reports to stay updated on this firestorm and its effects.