5:26 p.m. - Heavy debris flow is complicating search and rescue efforts along the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins, where three people are still missing in the wake of flash flooding earlier this week.
Crew members and search dogs scoured the canyon on Thursday to try to locate the unaccounted for residents. Rugged terrain, along with piles of burned-out logs and thick mud from the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar slowed down the process, said Jared Kramer, public information officer with the Larimer County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
鈥淎t this point, we鈥檙e hoping for a lucky break,鈥� Kramer said. 鈥淥r a lucky whiff from a dog to get us onto the right trail.鈥�
A view of where the flash flood and mudslide occurred last night that sent a large amount of debris into the Poudre Canyon.
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE)
Thank you to & for their response in the canyon. Our thoughts are with those who are impacted by this.
At least one person was killed during the flooding, which began around 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the upper Poudre Canyon, near where the Cameron Peak Fire ignited last fall.
Progress has been made clearing mud and debris from the highway since then. The sheriff鈥檚 office reopened a stretch of the Poudre River east of Rustic on Thursday.
Dozens of homes and businesses in the upper part of the Canyon are still without power. The Poudre Valley REA, the region鈥檚 electricity co-op, says debris is still blocking access to damaged power lines, but crews are
The National Weather Service in Boulder is forecasting more rain in the coming days, which could lead to more flooding around the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar, which covers over 200,000 acres.
The Larimer County Sheriff鈥檚 Office issued voluntary evacuations for several communities Thursday afternoon, including Glen Haven and Drake, due to the 鈥減otential for more flooding.鈥�
The search along the Poudre Canyon will continue Friday morning with reduced resources, according to the sheriff鈥檚 office.
鈥淎s restrictions are lifted, we encourage those entering the canyon to be mindful of the weather and river status during the visit,鈥� the office said in a statement. 鈥淭he forecast calls for more thunderstorm activity and conditions can change very rapidly.鈥�
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6:02 p.m. - Larimer County rescue crews have recovered the body of a woman who died Tuesday night during flash flooding in the upper Poudre Canyon. They also identified another person, an adult woman, who is still missing.
The addition raises the total number of people unaccounted for to three.
Search and rescue efforts will remain ongoing through the rest of the week, the sheriff鈥檚 office said in an update. Meanwhile, a 30-mile stretch of the Poudre River remains closed to recreation from the town of Rustic up to the mouth of the canyon just west of Fort Collins.
鈥淎 tremendous amount of debris has been washed into the river and we do not know what hazards exist currently and may arise as water continues to flow,鈥� the sheriff鈥檚 office said in a statement. 鈥淲e also have forecasts for more potential flooding in the coming days.鈥�
View at the drainage where the mudslide occurred yesterday.
— Larimer Sheriff (@LarimerSheriff)
Rainstorms triggered the flooding around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, primarily along a stretch of the canyon west of Rustic where the Cameron Peak Fire ignited last fall. The water mixed with dirt, trees, rocks and other debris in the burn scar, causing large mudslides that damaged at least five structures and part of Highway 14, according to the sheriff鈥檚 office.
Progress has been made clearing mud and debris from the highway. The Colorado Department of Transportation reopened a closed section of the road west of Rustic Wednesday afternoon.
Dozens of residents and tourists visiting rural communities west of Rustic were still without power Wednesday afternoon. The Poudre Valley REA, the regional electric co-op, said it had identified the source of power outages, but couldn鈥檛 access damaged power lines.
鈥淭here remains large amounts of debris in the area that eliminate all access for our crews to complete repairs at this time,鈥� the co-op said in a .
The National Weather Service in Boulder is forecasting more rain in the coming days, which could lead to more flooding around the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar, which covers over 200,000 acres.
Local first responders say they鈥檙e preparing for the worst. The American Red Cross鈥� Northern Colorado chapter has assembled volunteers and supplies to deploy to more evacuation sites, if needed.
鈥淲e are ready to go,鈥� said Melissa Venable, a Red Cross spokeswoman.
The Colorado Department of Transportation says heavy rain could trigger more flooding and road closures in other burn scars across the state.
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4:08 p.m. - A search and rescue effort is underway to locate two missing people after flash flooding and mudslides swept through a stretch of the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins Tuesday night.
At least one person, an adult woman, was killed during the flood, according to the Larimer County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
鈥淎s operations continue, emergency crews will be searching on foot and with drones,鈥� the office said in a statement Wednesday. 鈥淒ivers will be attempting to recover the body of the deceased female and a passenger vehicle that is in the river.鈥�
The flooding led the office to issue brief mandatory evacuations Tuesday night. A flash flood watch is in effect for most of the Cameron Peak burn scar through Wednesday evening, and Larimer County鈥檚 sheriff has closed the Poudre River for all recreational use until further notice.
The restrictions may last through the weekend, depending on the weather, according to the sheriff鈥檚 office.
Many Poudre Canyon residents returned to their homes and businesses on Wednesday, but said they were watching the Poudre River and debris flow closely.
鈥淲e are all fine and everything is 100% operational,鈥� said Chris Dinnin, owner of Bighorn Cabins in Rustic, which is just downstream of the primary flood zone. 鈥淲e鈥檙e keeping our eye out today, of course, and being vigilant when necessary.鈥�
Farther upstream, many residents and businesses are still without power. Photos from first responders show massive piles of burned-out tree trunks, rocks and destroyed bridges along the river. Mud slicks still cover parts of the highway.
Dozens of visitors at the Trading Post Resort in Bellvue were still without power and phone service Wednesday afternoon. The cabins, located on the upper part of the canyon at a higher elevation, escaped damage from the debris flow Tuesday night, said owner Andy Collins.
He drove several miles over muddy roads to make phone calls to family and friends in Rustic Wednesday afternoon. He said people in the area are 鈥渕ostly calm鈥� and are trying to keep things 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥� while crews clean the area up.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 kind of concerned,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just one of those watching and waiting to see what happens kind of things.鈥�
Drinking water not affected by debris flows
The city of Fort Collins鈥� drinking water supply wasn鈥檛 immediately affected by Tuesday鈥檚 flash flood.
City staff say they were able to shut off the city鈥檚 Poudre River intake before the mudslides began. The city鈥檚 drinking water will come solely from Horsetooth Reservoir until sediment and ash settles out of the river.
No debris has collected in the intake structure yet, said Mariel Miller, a Fort Collins Utilities water quality specialist. The city鈥檚 drinking water infrastructure was not damaged during Tuesday鈥檚 debris flows.
Fort Collins remains under a water shortage watch, where residents are asked to voluntarily reduce their outdoor use as the city鈥檚 water supply options are limited due to wildfire runoff into the Poudre River.
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8:44 a.m. - Flash flooding along Highway 14 in the Poudre Canyon triggered mudslides, debris flows and power outages Tuesday night.
According to Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith, at least one person is dead and two more may still be missing. Several structures in an area just west of the town of Rustic where the body was found were damaged or destroyed but some residents were able to get out safely, Smith said.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Transportation that the flooding triggered six mudslides.
"I personally witnessed significant debris and damage in the area, caused by downed trees, damaged and destroyed homes and mudflow," Smith . "The risk of debris flow damage remains and we caution any resident or visitors (to) the canyon to remain vigilant."
More than 100 households in the area are still without power, according to the Poudre Valley REA, the area鈥檚 electricity provider.
Outage update: Crews were able to restore power to around 30 members last night. There are currently 101 members without power. For those members, we are expecting extended outages that could last multiple days.
— Poudre Valley REA (@PoudreValleyREA)
鈥淔or those members, we are expecting extended outages that could last multiple days,鈥� the co-op said
The Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Cache La Porte Middle School in Laporte.
The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center ready to accommodate anyone needing info or other assistance. Volunteers are there helping people with immediate needs, supplies and support. The center is located at Cache La Porte Middle School, 3515 Co Rd 54G, Laporte, CO 80535.
— cowyredcross (@COWYRedCross)
Highway 14 remains closed in both directions between Rustic and Cameron Pass near the Cameron Peak burn scar. The Larimer County Sheriff鈥檚 Office says it's on high alert for more flooding today 鈥� a flash flood watch will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
