President Joe Biden to visit Boulder County Friday to assess Marshall Fire damage

Update Jan. 7, 3:05 p.m.

President Joe Biden is set to speak today at around 4:30 p.m. after visiting the Marshall fire disaster area in Boulder County. Watch here.

Our original story continues below.

President Joe Biden will visit Boulder County on Friday to assess damage from last week's Marshall Fire. 

The Biden administration last week declared the fire a major disaster, which frees up recovery funds to the community for temporary housing and home repairs, among other things. 

Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents Boulder in Washington, said in a release that he will join Biden in touring the area and will discuss federal support for people affected by the fire. 

“We cannot expect our communities to bear the burden of this disaster on their own,” Neguse said. “We must bring the full force of the federal government to bear as our communities work to rebuild and recover.”

Millions of dollars in aid have been made available to people affected by the fire, and a Disaster Assistance Center is open in Lafayette to help connect people with resources.

Most residents have been allowed back into their neighborhoods to see the damage the fire has done to their homes, but officials cautioned that water in many of the places is not safe to drink. The area is under a boil water order, which officials are hopeful to end by Sunday. Some homes remain without power.

The fire damaged nearly 1,000 homes, officials said.