Buccaneers' Shaq Barrett Evacuates Colorado House Because of Wildfire

Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge-rusher Shaquil Barrett was forced to evacuate his home south of Denver due to a 461-acre wildfire that occurred southeast of Chatfield State Park on Monday, per Elise Schmelzer and Kieran Nicholson or the Denver Post.

Per sports anchor Michael Spencer of Denver's CBS affiliate, Barrett noted how much the home meant to him and his family:

No injuries were reported, and no structures were damaged, per South Metro Fire Rescue spokesman Eric Hurst. An "electrical malfunction on a power pole" caused the blaze.

The BackCountry subdivision and Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Foundation were under mandatory orders to evacuate, but those were lifted at 7:30 p.m ET, per Schmelzer and Nicholson.

Barrett played for the Denver Broncos from 2014 to 2018 before leaving the team for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. He dominated for the Bucs, notching a career-high and league-leading 19.5 sacks in 2019.

The Bucs placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Barrett in March. A long-term deal has not been reached at this time, but as Barrett noted in the interview, that's what he's looking for as he and his family look to settle in Tampa.

Even if a long-term deal isn't reached, Barrett told Sirius XM Radio on Monday that he will sign his franchise tender and play out the 2020 season with the Bucs.

Tampa Bay and Barrett have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal that would apply to this season. Otherwise, Barrett will have to wait until after the year to sign a contract with the Bucs (or any other team in free agency).