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Roger Mordhorst is an artist who was evacuated from his house twice during the Fourmile Canyon Fire of 2010. He talks about what he took with him when he evacuated, his unsuccessful struggle to cage his pet parrot, and the subsequent successful evacuation of the parrot by an animal rescue crew. He also talks about using time that he had back at his house before his second evacuation as a time to finish work on paintings without distraction. He says that he took artwork when he left but did not think of taking more mundane, practical items such as passport and checkbook.

Doug Young, longtime resident of Sunshine Canyon and retired Fire Chief of the Sunshine Fire Protection District, talks about the events of the Fourmile Fire of September 2010. He discusses topics of community preparedness and communication (for example, how he used social media such as email groups and Facebook), as well as ways to prepare a residence in the event of a wildfire. His role in facilitating communication between the authorities and the public is covered, as well as the character of the fire, the experience of being evacuated for his family members, the larger Boulder community's response to assisting evacuees, and the changing landscape of the Sunshine community. There is also the event of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: a moment of calm amidst the raging fire and the falling ash.

Photographs of a fire on Flagstaff Mountain.

Dr. Veblen defines tree rings and their importance in his research. He explains the trend of continued residential development in high-fire-hazard areas. He details the southwestern Ponderosa pine fire model and discusses commonsense fire mitigation efforts around homes. He talks about suggestions to reduce the costs of fighting fire, including the controversial suggestion that the federal government not pay to fight fires. He discusses the National Fire Plan and treatments to mitigate hazardous fuels.

Jesse Holmes and Valerie Solheim discuss their experience of the Fourmile Canyon Fire of 2010, which included evacuation of their Mountain Meadows neighborhood. Valerie talks about being an evacuee, and Jesse, who chose to stay with their home, talks about staying with the house. They reflect on choosing what to pack up and take to Boulder, the positive effect of fire-prevention mitigation on their property, the role of firefighters, the emotional aspects of living through the fire, and the sense of community - both among mountain residents and emanating from the people of Boulder reaching out to support the evacuees - that arose throughout this difficult event.

Janice Wheeler's house in Sunshine Canyon burned to the ground during the Fourmile Canyon Fire of September 2010 - a house that her father, Harry Covey, built around the structure of the original Sunshine jail. Her interview contains rich descriptions of Sunshine and history of the Covery and Wheeler families, the fire itself, in terms of its effect on individuals and on the community of Sunshine, and of the aftermath of the fire. She tells tales of her childhood, such as how Forrest Jones would lead her and her friends on walks through the mountains from Sunshine to Salina for Vacation Bible School. She also tells of watching her musician son, Nathan, sift through the ash of their burned home for items to use to create a musical composition about the fire (see OH 1765-V for an interview with Nathan Wheeler).

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle gives an overview of services provided by his deparment in this interview that initially aired on radio station KGNU's program "A Public Affair". The interview focuses on the Boulder County jail, search and rescue services, forest fire prevention, and citizen use of firearms. With respect to forest fires, Sheriff Pelle discusses the complexity of reverse-911 systems in an age of cell phones, the challenges of the urban-wildland interface, the Fourmile Canyon Fire of 2010, and the idea of consolidation of mountain fire districts. Other hot-button topics discussed include the use of drones by sheriffs' departments and concealed weapons permits issued by the sheriff's department.

George Woodward, a Sunshine Canyon resident and firefighter, relates his experiences of working on the Fourmile Canyon Fire. A relatively new firefighter, he had worked on several small fires, but the Fourmile Canyon Fire - which was the most destructive fire in Colorado history - was his first experience of fighting a large fire. He gives a vivid, dramatic, and detailed account of what it was like to inventory houses in Sunshine Canyon, assess the amount of danger they were in, and save houses from burning. The interview includes descriptions of wildland firefighting at night, techniques used to fight the fire, and reflections on assessing conditions for the safety of the firefighters.

George Epp has lived in Boulder since 1951. He began working in the Sheriff's Office in 1972, and was sheriff of Boulder County from 1990 to 2003. In this interview he talks about changes in the department, including changes in the communication structure and training programs and the implementation of jail reforms, then focuses on his experiences as sheriff during many of the Boulder County wildland fires in the last quarter of the twentieth century, including the Gold Hill Fire in the 1970s, the Comforter Mountain Fire in 1976, the Beaver Lake Fire in 1988, and the Black Tiger Fire in 1989.

Dee Spencer, longtime resident of Sunshine Canyon, discusses the Fourmile Fire and the effects that it provoked, ranging from very personal to effects on the broader community. At the time of the fire, which consumed her house, she and her husband, Steve, were preparing to host their son's rehearsal dinner party for his wedding, which was to (and did) take place a little over a week after the fire. Spencer describes the morning of the fire, the surreal feeling of the experience, and its aftermath. She recalls the objects that she chose to take, those that others rescued for her, those that survived, and those that perished. Recounting the journey, she considers the concept of home, the importance of community and music in the healing process, as well as the transformative opportunity that can arrive even in the wake of such devastation.

When Candace and Louis Brad were evacuated from thier home in the Boulder County foothills due to the Fourmile Canyon Fire of 2010, it was the fourth evacuation they had experienced. In this recording that was used in making the film PACKED, they discuss the process of evacuation, how they decided what to take with them, how their process has evolved over time, helping a neighbor, and a few surprises (they ended up without their computer power cord or keyboard, but with many pairs of Louis's shoes and lots of dog toys).

This folder contains newspaper clippings about Boulder Canyon. The clippings were compiled by the Reference Staff at the Boulder Public Library.