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Colorado Man Storing Donated Musical Instruments in His House for Marshall Fire Victims

Following the devastating Marshall Fire that occurred in Colorado’s Boulder County, a local man revealed that he is storing donated musical instruments in his house for the victims. 

According to 9News, Travis Albright from Lafayette, Colorado is storing 150 donated musical instruments for those who lost theirs in the Marshall Fire. Albright is the founder of Future Arts Foundation. The non-profit notably provides instruments to schools that do not have the budget to purchase them for students. 

Speaking about his efforts, the Colorado man states, “I was seeing all these people on TV that lost everything. And I was like, this is such a musical area. I bet you out of the thousands [of] homes there is a good handful that lost instruments.”

Albright also revealed that four schools in the area stated more than 100 students have lost not only their musical instruments but also their homes. He explained that dozens of adults have said they are hoping to replace their own instruments that were destroyed in the Colorado blaze. 

Albright said Sunday Sunday, neighbors have been dropping off instruments. Since he doesn’t have any more space in the garage, he is storing the instruments in the kitchen and basement. “When I looked out my door at 10 a.m. when the drive was starting, there were at least 20 to 30 people lined up down my street. With instruments in hands. I am still getting emails and phone calls all the time from  people who want to donate.”

Albright revealed that his nonprofit is collecting money to help buy brand new instruments as well. He said one of the organization’s partners, Odell Brewing, will be packing a van to help with the distribution. They are hoping to get the instruments out within the next few weeks. 

Colorado’s Marshall Fire Causes $513 Million in Damage

According to PBS, Colorado’s Marshall Fire broke out last month following months of drought. Close to 1,100 buildings, mostly homes, were destroyed in the blaze. The now infamous fire caused an estimate of $513 million in damages. One victim was reportedly identified while another remained unaccounted for out of the 35,000 residents that were forced from their homes. 

President Biden and First Lady Jill visited the Harper Lake neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on Friday to survey the damage. While speaking to locals, President Biden stated, “Not only are you helping each other, but we’re here with you. We’re not going to go away. I intend to do whatever it takes as long as it takes to support you.”

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. However, the media outlet reveals that investigators have narrowed their search for a cause to an area near Boulder. This is notably where someone captured a video of a burning shed on December 30th, the same day the fire began. It was noted that it could still take weeks for authorities to finish the investigation.