Officials have identified the first confirmed casualty of a devastating wildfire in Colorado.

       Partial human remains found Wednesday at a home in unincorporated Boulder County destroyed by the Marshall Fire have been identified as Robert Sharpe, 69, "based on DNA analysis and scene circumstances," the Boulder County Coroner’s Office said in a statement Friday.

       The cause and manner of death are still under investigation, the coroner's office said.

       Sharpe was one of two people reported missing in the wake of the wind-fueled wildfire, which began Dec. 30 and forced 35,000 people to evacuate homes across Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County.

       Erin Schaff/The New York Times via Redux

       Farrah Manz, 10, reaches into the rubble to look for any belongings that might have survived after their house burned down in the Marshall fire in the Spanish Hills subdivision of Boulder, Colo., Jan. 4, 2022.

       Sharpe was a longtime resident of Boulder who worked in construction, his family said in a statement to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH.

       "Robert will be greatly missed by his family and friends," the family said, remembering him as a naturalist who was concerned with children's rights. "The total devastation of this event has shocked and impacted so many in the community. Our hearts go out to the many others who have suffered losses."

       MORE: Hundreds of homes lost amid fast-spreading Colorado fires

       Sharpe is survived by three brothers, one sister and "many nieces and nephews," said the family, who asked that anyone wishing to donate in his memory do so to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.

       A woman from Superior also was reported missing by her family in the fire, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said Sunday. The sheriff's office has not yet provided any updates on that search.

       Jeremy Sparig/ZUMA Press

       Destroyed homes and burned vehicles sit in the aftermath of the Marshall fire in Lousiville, Colo., Jan. 4, 2022.

       Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, which destroyed 1,084 homes and damaged another 149, according to the Boulder Office of Disaster Management.

       MORE: Colorado families begin to pick up pieces following winter wildfire

       The investigation and recovery process have been impeded by recent snowfall, the sheriff's office said this week. Debris in impacted areas, including glass, sharp metal and unstable structures, also continue to pose hazards, officials warned Friday.