Marshall fire victims begin what looks to be a long insurance process; Agent shares proactive tips

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Victims of the Marshall fire, which destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses on New Year’s Eve, are looking at a long road ahead to rebuild, and insurance claims are just starting.

“I think the biggest hurdle is with personal property and really going through and doing assessments of all the little things,” said Andrew Vega, a State Farm insurance agent in Boulder. “I can’t imagine having loss and having to really go through and remember every little thing that you had.”

Vega insures several Marshall fire victims. He explained a standard part of this insurance claim process is making a list of everything of value that those victims had in their homes in hopes to get maximum pay-outs. “We’ve so far had over $5 billion in advanced pay outs to date, and that’s continuing. We are responding aggressively to make sure that people have what they need.”

Vega says Marshall fire victims should reach out to builders now to get their name on a list. “That’s going to significantly expedite the process,” he says. Experts say, building was already a challenge before the fire because of material supply hold ups, and now re-building entire communities is expected to even further strain the system.

The Marshall fire is one of several Colorado wildfires in recent years to destroy homes and businesses, including the East Troublesome fire in 2021, the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012, and the Black Forest fire in 2013. Vega says the biggest mistake people make is not being proactive with their insurance before disasters happen.

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