How Marshall Fire Victims in Colorado Turned Tragedy Into Political Change

Kyle Brown was a city councilman in Louisville , Colorado , a suburb of Boulder that had been devastated by the Marshall Fire .

The fire was the costliest and deadliest fire in the stateâs history, which caused more than $2 billion in damages and destroyed more than a thousand structures.

Brown , a Democrat , spent two years working with a highly organized group of survivors to pass a suite of ambitious bills that have made Colorado a leader in responding to climate disasters.

A former Boulder resident named Jeri Curry moved back to the area from Virginia to help aid in the long-term recovery.

She and a group of fellow volunteers established a recovery center in an office park 10 months after the fire.

The center provided free food and computer access, provided guidance to survivors navigating the process of filing an insurance claim and applying for FEMA aid.

The Marshall Fire victims secured a far bigger legislative response than the victims of past Colorado fires.

The high education and income levels in the cities impacted by the Marshall Fire helped the rebuilding effort move faster.

The benefits will only apply to survivors of future fires, which are far more likely to start in rural mountain communities.