A year to the day that the Marshall fire wiped them out, Terri and Ed Colson got the last laugh. They moved into their rebuilt home Thursday Dec. 29 and woke up to a clear-skied milestone day.

“We made the anniversary, and we are so happy about that,” said Terri.

Friday, several pairs of shoes were already lined up on a mat beside the front door. Their modern home in Original Town Superior is an exact replica of the one they lost, which the family had only lived in for a year before it was destroyed.

After losing everything in Marshall fire, Louisville family rebuilding home and neighborhood

The Colsons were the first Superior residents to receive a certificate of occupancy and the second of more than 1,000 Marshall fire victims to complete their rebuild and move in.

Jessica Carson and her children had the distinction of being first overall. They first crossed the red front door of their new Louisville home two weeks before Christmas.

A year after the Marshall fire, 138 building permits have been issued by Louisville, Superior has issued 109 and unincorporated Boulder County has awarded 29.

Homes on the edge of Original Town Superior border a ridge surrounded by open space and walking trails. Today it is a patchwork of empty lots, cranes, backhoes and frames.

Most of the Colson’s neighbors on the 300 block of south 3rd Avenue have broken ground. Two doors down, roofers hammered through the chill. Next door, a half-finished home built for fire-resistance already had a new mailbox and someone had shoveled the walkway.

A couple of miles away, hundreds of Marshall fire victims marked the year anniversary at the Superior Community Center in search of a hug and a Santiago’s burrito.

“Hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles. Bonus!” said one survivor who did not want to give his name.

Cause of Marshall fire remains a mystery a year after blaze scarred public and 6,080 acres

First responders chatted with grateful homeowners. Keith Long, assistant chief for special operations with the Mountain View Fire District, said he turned to counseling to help him get through the emotions of that terrible day.

Last Dec. 30, he was goose hunting with his son when he saw the fire on U.S. 36.

“I called my chief and he said ‘Come to Superior right now,’” said Long. “There were people stuck in cars and we got them to a safe haven. It was very traumatic.”

After the breakfast, some victims visited Long’s MVFD firehouse, where firefighters were presented with banners and letters of thanks.

“There’s a real sense of community here in Superior, since the fire happened, that wasn’t here before,” said Wanda Archer, a volunteer with a group called Superior Rising. The group started almost immediately after Colorado’s most devastating wildfire killed two Boulder County residents, destroyed more than 1,100 homes, and businesses as it charred 6,000 acres.

For months after the fire, Archer and dozens of other victims came to each other’s emotional rescue after they were thrown together at Broomfield’s Residence Inn. For months, Archer said they bonded over “insurance talk, game night and Sunday night meals.”

As she spoke to a reporter, someone slipped her a donation wrapped up in a piece of paper.

Jen Willard, who wore a baseball cap with the word “Blessed” in cursive across the bill, hugged her friend Leslie Folsom. Both women have returned to their smoke-damaged homes, but too many others aren’t so lucky.

No one at the community breakfast bargained for the emotion they would feel one year after their lives were turned upside down.

“It’s amazing how we are bursting at the seams with love,” said Willard, who is ready to say goodbye to 2022. “The Chinese Zodiac said that 2023 is the year of hope! That’s what I’m going to take to heart.

“This will be our year of hope.”

A year to the day that the Marshall Fire wiped them out, Terri and Ed Colson got the last laugh. They moved into their rebuilt home Thursday Dec. 29 and woke up to a clear-skied milestone day.

“We made the anniversary, and we are so happy about that,” said Terri.

Friday, several pairs of shoes were already lined up on a mat beside the front door. Their modern home in Original Town Superior is an exact replica of the one they lost, which the family had only lived in for a year before it was destroyed.

The Colsons were the first Superior residents to receive a certificate of occupancy and the second of more than 1,000 Marshall fire victims to complete their rebuild and move in.

Jessica Carson and her children had the distinction of being first overall. They first crossed the red front door of their new Louisville home two weeks before Christmas.

A year after the Marshall fire, 138 building permits have been issued by Louisville, Superior has issued 109 and unincorporated Boulder County has awarded 29.

Homes on the edge of Original Town Superior border a ridge surrounded by open space and walking trails. Today it is a patchwork of empty lots, cranes, backhoes and frames.

Most of the Colson’s neighbors on the 300 block of south 3^rd Avenue have broken ground. Two doors down, roofers hammered through the chill. Next door, a half-finished home built for fire-resistance already had a new mailbox and someone had shoveled the walkway.

A couple of miles away, hundreds of Marshall Fire victims marked the year anniversary at the Superior Community Center in search of a hug and a Santiago’s burrito.

“Hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles. Bonus!” said one survivor who did not want to give his name.

First responders chatted with grateful homeowners. Keith Long, assistant chief for Special Operations with the Mountain View Fire District, said he turned to counseling to help him get through the emotions of that terrible day.

Last Dec. 30, he was goose hunting with his son when he saw the fire on U.S. Highway 36.

“I called my chief and he said ‘Come to Superior right now’,” said Long. “There were people stuck in cars and we got them to a safe haven. It was very traumatic.”

After the breakfast, some victims visited Long’s MVFD firehouse where firefighters were presented with banners and letters of thanks.

“There’s a real sense of community here in Superior since the fire happened that wasn’t here before,” said Wanda Archer, a volunteer with a group called Superior Rising. The group started almost immediately after Colorado’s most devastating wildfire killed two Boulder County residents, destroyed more than 1,100 homes and businesses as it charred 6,000 acres.

For months after the fire, Archer and dozens of other victims came to each other’s emotional rescue after they were thrown together at Broomfield’s Residence Inn. For months, Archer said they bonded over “insurance talk, game night and Sunday night meals.”

As she spoke to a reporter, someone slipped her a donation wrapped up in a piece of paper.

Jen Willard, who wore a baseball cap with the word “Blessed” in cursive across the bill, hugged her friend Leslie Folsom. Both women have returned to their smoke-damaged homes, but too many others aren’t so lucky.

No one at the community breakfast bargained for the emotion they would feel one year after their lives were turned upside down.

“It’s amazing how we are bursting at the seams with love,” said Willard, who is ready to say goodbye to 2022. “The Chinese Zodiac said that 2023 is the year of hope! That’s what I’m going to take to heart.

“This will be our year of hope.”