This story was updated on Jan. 5, 2022, at 4.20 p.m.
In the aftermath of last week’s devastating Marshall Fire, social media and online news became vital conduits for neighbors to share urgent information and opportunities to provide aid. However, many Boulder County residents face a hurdle when it comes to accessing these online resources: Their Internet service is still out.
The Boulder Reporting Lab is following progress on the status of Internet outages in the county. This story is ongoing and will be updated as new information is received. Please email us if you are still experiencing an Internet outage, and be sure to include your neighborhood information and Internet provider.
Comcast released an update on Jan. 4 regarding the outages, saying it had restored Internet to 11,000 of its 13,000 residential customers (roughly 85%) who lost service due to the fire as of 8 a.m. This number is an increase from Comcast’s evening report on Jan. 2, when the telecommunications company said it had restored 40% of outages, and Jan. 3, when it had reached 70%.
The Boulder Reporting Lab reached out to a Comcast representative for updates later that evening, but was referred to the earlier press release.
A representative from CenturyLink, another Internet provider, said their employees “are working with the power company to reroute fiber and install new equipment to restore services.”
Of Comcast’s remaining 2,000 customers without Internet, according to the Jan. 4 update, “many are those whose homes are lost due to the fire.” Also, 530 of its 660 business customers have had their Internet restored (though some without service may have been destroyed in the fire).
Comcast says it will continue to restore service in the Superior and Louisville areas. Crews were scheduled yesterday to go property to property around the following areas: 88th Street and US 36, McCaslin Boulevard and Washington Avenue, Marshall Road and Eldorado Springs, Colton Road, and South Rock Creek Parkway.
The Boulder Reporting Lab has received multiple emails from readers in Eldorado Springs who say they are still without Internet. We also heard the same from residents in a small neighborhood in unincorporated Boulder County, west of US 93 and just north of the 170/93 intersection. One reader on Prado Drive in Eldorado Springs said service was still out as of 7 a.m. this morning. That person received a text message from Comcast instructing customers to visit the company’s website for updates — a challenge for people in the area, where residents say cell coverage is lacking.
Though the company did not give a definitive date for when it expects all local service to be restored, the Jan. 4 update says employees “expect to make great progress in the next 48 hours” and further news will be communicated here.
Comcast is not the only company that is still at work repairing damages from the Marshall Fire. Xcel has restored power to 10,000 customers out of 13,000 who had service interrupted by the fire as of Jan. 4. That number is up from only 6,000 customers restored on the day before. Xcel is still offering free space heaters to affected customers. They’re available to be picked up at the YMCA in Lafayette at 2800 Dagny Wy. and the Superior Community Center at 1500 Coalton Rd.
UPDATE: Jan. 5, 4:20 p.m.
Comcast released a new update on Internet outages today on Jan. 5. The company says all outages in Broomfield, Boulder and Lafayette have been restored. 650 more customers had their power restored over the past day, bringing the total rate of outages restored to 89%.
On Wednesday, Comcast crews will be in the following areas to restore Internet service: around 900 Dillon Rd., the golf course community in Louisville, and around the intersection of Eldorado Springs Drive and Marshall Road.
Leslie Oliver, Director of Media and External Communications at Comcast, told Boulder Reporting Lab that the “Eldorado Springs area is one of the primary areas we are concentrating on today [Jan. 5]. We do have fire-damaged infrastructure in that area, and we are having to go property by property to assess the damage. We have crews out now and they are already repairing the damage. We expect to have services restored for most residences that are still there later this afternoon.”
In a tweet at 4:09 p.m., CenturyLink/Lumen said the company has completed extensive repairs throughout the Superior community. Residents and businesses should report outages here, or call 1-800-244-1111.