Flash flooding over the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain burn scars brought down avalanches of debris and mud this week, damaging homes and infrastructure in Colorado mountain towns just starting to recover from the wildfires.
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At least eight homes in Beulah were damaged by flooding on Wednesday night, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said on social media. Crews were able to clear most of the mud and debris and reopen roads by Thursday night.
Officials in neighboring Custer County ordered mandatory evacuations because flooding damage made roadways unsafe on Thursday, including Spruce Lane in San Isabel.
On the Western Slope, officials in Ouray County said multiple structures were damaged by “a number of large mudslide and debris flows” coming from the Gold Mountain burn scar on Wednesday, including in the Cutler and Dexter Creek drainage areas and Ponderosa Village neighborhood.
U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass, the highway that connects Ouray and Silverton, was still closed on Thursday night and will likely remain closed through Friday as crews work to clear at least eight mud and rock slides caused by the storm, Colorado Department of Transportation officials said.
Drivers can take Colorado 145 through Telluride as an alternate route, CDOT officials said.
Areas near wildfire burn scars are at risk for flash flooding for a few reasons: There’s little or no vegetation to absorb heavy rainfall, and the charred soil creates a water-repellent layer that also blocks water absorption, according to state officials.
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