Overview:
Five years after the Marshall Fire, survivors gathered at Bambei Brewery in Superior to reflect and support one another through recovery.
On a cold, snowy Saturday afternoon in Superior, former neighbors gathered at Bambei Brewery to reconnect five years after the Marshall Fire. Owners Sean and Casey Bambei closed their brewery on Jan. 24 to host a Marshall Fire reunion, giving survivors space to catch up and reflect on how their lives have changed since the fire.
Bambei Brewery opened in 2021, just six days before the Marshall Fire tore through Superior and Louisville. As Sean Bambei was finalizing paperwork for the new business, he wasn’t sure whether the building they planned to open would still be standing.
“As the fire was going through, we were going through the documents trying to understand about this new business. Just like everybody around here, we were affected by the fire and we didn’t know if we had a building.” Bambei said. “It was devastating and we had [buildings] burnt down around us and we had some damage in our building.”
The brewery ultimately survived with some damage, and Bambei said the experience shaped how the business sees its role in the community.
“As we were building our place out and everyone around us was rebuilding, I think the community was happy that there was going to be something in this place as opposed to just an empty space,” Bambei said. “They were looking for something where people could be together after the fires and this just kind of fell into our lap and it was the right thing to do. It’s nice to get everybody together and try to get back into a sense of normal.”
The reunion was organized by Kelly Watt, a board member of Marshall Together, a nonprofit supporting residents affected by the fire. Watt lost her own home in the blaze and said the organization has become a crucial source of connection.
“I wanted to be part of the Marshall Together board to be more informed and help our community,” Watt said. “I feel very connected to the Marshall Fire community, and there are many people I wouldn’t have known if it had not been for the fire bringing us together. When we see each other at Marshall Together events, it’s like an affinity group. No one has to share their evacuation story or about their loss. We all get it, even if our experiences have been different.”
The gathering marked five years since the Marshall Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. The fire destroyed 1,084 homes and seven commercial buildings and caused more than $2 billion in damage.
Among the attendees was Michael Chen, a Superior resident of 34 years, who recalled how quickly the fire overwhelmed his neighborhood after his daughter called to warn him.
“[My youngest daughter] calls me and says, ‘Dad, I’m at the rec center working out and I’m looking towards the house and there’s smoke coming up from the backside.’ I was on South Boulder road and I pulled over and took pictures,” Chen said. “There was a fire line going north and south and I thought it was moving north and south. So I thought, ‘They got this under control.’”
Chen described rushing home as high winds pushed flames through the neighborhood. “I had to go get my dogs and [my daughter] went to grab her things. When she came out the front door, she froze,” he said. “Behind us was one of our neighbors’ fences on fire and some other houses down the street started to catch on fire. This happened in less than two to three minutes.”
Chen returned to his 34-year-old family home a year ago after a lengthy rebuilding process. Even before the fire, Chen was dealing with personal obligations and the loss of one of his daughters.
“I was planning on remodeling the house and there was a lot going on in my life,” Chen said. “Within seven months of that, the house burns down and people say, ‘I feel sorry for you,’ but I needed it to be burned down to move on.”
Despite everything, Chen said reunions like this one help maintain the connections forged by tragedy. “We are closer now after the fire,” Chen said. “We have to keep moving forward. I enjoy coming [to these events] because I get to talk to the neighbors that I normally wouldn’t talk to.”
Another attendee, Reina Pomeroy, said her family had lived in their Louisville home for just 20 weeks before it was destroyed.
“We didn’t know what to expect; it was terrifying. We evacuated and hoped that we could come back,” she said. “We found out our home was on fire around 7 p.m. when my husband’s Tesla alerted him that the car’s [temperature] was over 200 degrees and climbing. We knew right by then we lost the house.”
Finding temporary housing was one of the hardest parts, Pomeroy said, as fire victims competed with one another for rentals.
“When we went to go see some of the houses that we put in for, there was one unit that we actually ended up getting and there were 12 families waiting outside of it to see it,” Pomeroy said. “It was like the Hunger Games; we were all fighting for it. It feels so unfair to fight with your community to be able to house your own family, so that was hard.”
But when Pomeroy is asked why she decided to move back even though there is concern and worry about living in a high fire zone and the risk of being involved in another fire. She states that she’s optimistic that the town will be more prepared next time.
“People are more aware and we also have tools like Watch Duty that allow us to be more aware early on even if there are no evacuation mandates,” Pomperoy said. “Technology is meeting us where we need to be met when it comes to these mandates and updates.”
As the evening wound down, neighbors lingered over food and drinks, exchanging hugs before heading home. Watt said Marshall Together plans to continue hosting gatherings, including a larger event planned for the five-year anniversary of the fire on Dec. 30, 2026.
“These events have been a lifeline for me, and I think the same is true for many others,” Watt said. “When you have experienced a disaster, as we all have, you sometimes don’t want to show up for events that are actually about the fire. It’s hard to go out on the anniversary and see people and feel what you’re feeling. Whatever their experience is coming to events, they are brave, and they are showing up to be part of this club that no one chooses to be a part of.”
