BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Boulder Police are searching for the person or persons who vandalized and burglarized a tent storing items for victims of the Marshall Fire.
It happened in the middle of the night. Someone tore a hole in a tent housing items donated to help people who lost everything in the Marshall Fire. The tent was set up by the Blackbelly restaurant in Boulder and is being run by volunteers.
Clothes were scattered throughout the area. Food was thrown on the ground. It may not have seemed like much to whoever did this, but to people like Luke O’Brien, who’s come here every day for help rebuilding his life and replacing everything he lost, what happened here makes things even worse.
“It’s very troubling. I have never been involved in a situation like this ever before, and to hear that there are people out there that have bad intentions, it’s so, so bad I have to kind of shut it off,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien comes for the food. It’s one of the things being provided by Blackbelly for those needing help. There are also toys, jackets, shirts, baby clothes and anything you can think of to help people who lost everything in a flash. No one can imagine why someone would do this.
“It’s just so sad because we’re here to help people who need it. Displaced people impacted in any way. We are helping everybody,” Brady said.
Volunteers were able to quickly clean up the mess. Around noon Monday, the damaged tent walls were already being repaired. The Marshall Fire Relief Store is up and running again, saying gift cards and small kitchen appliances are what they need the most.
Boulder Police say they are investigating the burglary and criminal mischief case at the tent. Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen who broke into the tent illegally to call Boulder Police or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers.