Woman dead, 3 missing after flooding in Colorado burn area
July 21, 2021
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RUSTIC, Colo. (AP) A woman was found dead and three other people were missing after rain triggered flooding and mudslides in an area of northern Colorado burned by a large wildfire last year, authorities said Wednesday.
The woman s body was found near the small community of Rustic, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Denver, after a mudslide sent a large amount of debris into a scenic, winding canyon Tuesday evening, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said.
At least five houses were destroyed, and a private bridge was damaged in the flooding, sheriff’s Capt. Joe Shellhammer told the Coloradoan newspaper in Fort Collins.
It gets your heart pounding : More flash flooding possible in Larimer County
Denver7
Posted at 4:56 PM, Jul 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-22 01:27:21-04
LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. â More flash flooding could occur across Larimer County Wednesday following Tuesdayâs flooding and mudslides around the Poudre Canyon area.
The National Weather Service in Boulder issued a flash flood warning for Larimer County and the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar until 4:30 p.m., with the possibility of up to an inch of rain falling in 30 minutes or less. A flash flood warning remains in effect for northeastern Grand and southwestern Larimer counties until 6:15 p.m.
In response to disaster relief and debris removal, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith has ordered the closure of the Poudre River until further notice.
As the Larimer County Sheriff s Office continues to search for two missing people and retrieve one dead body from the Poudre, all watercraft are banned from the river starting at the Fish Hatchery to the mouth of the Poudre Canyon.
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With the flash flooding and mudslides of July 20, 2021, crews will be assessing the structural integrity of bridges that lie below the slide area. Much debris, (mud, rock, trees, structures) has been washed into the river and authorities just don t know what hazards exist.
Mud and debris have damaged areas along Highway 14 due to flash flooding in the Poudre Canyon.
Last updated at 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’s 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.