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Residents in part of Rock Creek neighborhood visit destroyed homes for the first time since fire

Barb Benesh and her husband tour destroyed home in Rock Creek neighborhood in Superior
Posted at 6:48 AM, Jan 03, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-04 11:45:37-05

SUPERIOR, Colo. — For the first time, residents of the southwest portion of Superior's Rock Creek neighborhood, destroyed in the Marshall Fire, were allowed to tour their destroyed homes on Sunday.

An entire street on Andrew Drive was completely leveled to the ground. Homeowners were only able to make out silhouettes of their former lives, now in ashes under inches of snow.

"Me and my wife, this is our first home," said Kali Prasad, whose family home was destroyed in the Marshall Fire. "I'm not too worried about the money. I'm worried about the memories."

Many portions of the Rock Creek neighborhood were lifted from closure on Sunday while others are still on what is called a soft closure. Residents in homes that are still standing can come back, but they mush show ID and obey strict curfews. The downtown portion of Superior is still under a hard closure with nobody allowed to enter.

"I was a little frustrated at first, that that we were being kept away," said Tom Wade, a 30-year resident of the closed portion of the Coal Creek Ranch neighborhood in Louisville. "But I understand what they have to do. And it's not as simple as we might think it is."

The county of Boulder has been updating its closure map daily where residents can see which neighborhoods are available to return.