BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — FOX31 obtained exclusive video above the flames of the Marshall Fire from a local drone pilot showing the devastation and heroic efforts of first responders.
“I was doing to a shoot,” owner of Falcon Aerial Imaging Kaarl Hoopes said.
Hoopes was working on a drone video project for a client Thursday night when his assignment became very serious. He said officials gave him exclusive access.
“(They) gave me clearance to go ahead and go past the police roadblocks,” Hoopes said.
He said that access lead him to capture incredible, intimate footage of Thursday’s fire from above. The video shows houses the moment they’re consumed in flames.
“I could hear, when I was near the fire scene, I could hear the roar of the fire,” Hoopes said.
He didn’t just capture flame he said he also captured heroism. “I saw a lot of emergency equipment, police, fire, et cetera,” he said.
First responders are dousing flames on one home, pulling all stops to keep them from billowing over to others in the video.
“People working very hard. Men and women working hard to save as much property as they possibly could,” Hoopes said.
The behavior of the fire was a spectacle, Hoopes said.
“On one side of the street, everything would be wiped out. And, on some streets, the other side, the homes were still standing,” Hoopes said.
Hoopes hopes the coverage will serve a purpose. “I just hope in some small way, I can help,” he said.
At some point in the future, Hoopes wants the video to help prevent another disaster like this.
“I’m … expecting that this footage will help fire departments better understand how the fires move and how to maybe, even improve the effectiveness of their firefighting techniques,” Hoopes said.
