VIDEO: When the Marshall fire swept through Boulder County, no one could have predicted its path of destruction, but researchers are working to develop tools that can.
Timothy Juliano is a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder.
Juliano and his team are studying a different fire to better understand what could happen here in Colorado.
"We focused on the Lahaina fire which happened in Hawaii," Juliano said.
Using advanced computer models, the researchers were able to simulate the wildfire that devastated the town of Lahaina.
They replicated how the intense winds there whipped up a brushfire and drove flames into populated areas.
"We learned that, first of all, downslope wind storms are really destructive," said Juliano. "If there is a an ignition that kind of correlates with a downslope windstorm, then that can just lead to really disastrous results."