On the morning of December 30, 2021, grass fires broke out in Boulder County. Two blazes were identified and named by authorities as the Marshall Fire and Middle Fork Fire, creating a horrific hurricane of flames, known together as the Boulder County Fires. Middle Fork was quickly contained, but the massive Marshall Fire caused tremendous, heartbreaking damage.
A humid spring with above-average grass growth, followed by a hot summer and dry fall created treacherous conditions. Severe winds with gusts of 115 miles per hour rapidly spread the fire, engulfing homes and vehicles in Louisville, Superior and Boulder, leaving those communities deeply scarred. More than a thousand residential structures were destroyed, and several more were severely damaged.
Less than twelve hours after igniting, the blaze surpassed the 2013 Black Forest Fire as the Centennial State’s most destructive. In response, Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on the day of the outbreak, and evacuees had to wait in agony over the fate of their homes.
PuroClean touches the lives of people who have been devastated by catastrophes. The company is a leader in property damage remediation, helping families and businesses overcome horrific setbacks caused by water, mold and fire.
“We started getting calls on the 31st, the day after the fire, and we’ve done about 350 assessments since,” says Chris Schatz, general manager and owner. Schatz is a former EMT and fire fighter with a degree in fire science. He has been at the helm of PuroClean Broomfield for two years. “We’re still getting calls related to the Marshall Fire, weeks later.”
The PuroClean team is there when people are working to recover from some of the worst ordeals of their lives. “We moved a customer on a Saturday into a rental because of fire damage to his home, and he was very appreciative. We’re doing smoke remediation for him. We cleaned his contents and possessions and then helped him move,” Schatz says. “It took all day, and he was extremely thankful. My 18-year-old son helped, as well. There’s been a lot of gratitude for the restorative work we’ve done in response.”
“Chris Schatz and the PuroClean team have been thoughtful, thorough, and patient, answering any and all questions we’ve had during this stressful time of smoke mitigation,” says customer Peggy Morgan. “We think so highly of him and his team. Having worked on a previous project with him, he was our first call, and we have since recommended him to others going through the same situation.”
“We have customers who think very highly of us,” adds Schatz. “I’ve truly formed bonds with some of them. There’s been a lot of resounding positivity reacting to what we’ve done, in light of trials and tribulations.”
It’s clear Schatz is passionate about the high quality of his company’s sanitation and decontamination methods, and he stresses the concept of servant-leadership. “Our employees are trained and skilled. We empower them. I take it as a personal compliment whenever we’ve had a customer (say they) wish they’d simply called us first.”
We asked Schatz what three values define PuroClean Broomfield. Schatz says, “Integrity, trust and image. Your business is nothing without integrity, and you’re going to get nowhere without trust. Your customers have to have faith that you are going to do right by them. Finally, image: how we present ourselves to our customers is important for building any trust in the first place. We want to uphold a great standard, having our trucks immaculate and clean.”
As a whole, Schatz says it comes down to putting people first. “The whole thing is, we believe in doing the right thing for our customers.”
For more information, visit the PuroClean website at puroclean.com or call 720-773-3400.