A torrential downpour mixed with lightning and golf ball-sized hail triggered mudslides, power outages and a house fire Wednesday evening in La Plata County.
The rain began falling about 5 p.m. just north of Durango city limits in the Animas Valley. About a half hour later, mud and rock slides cut off access to several major roads, including U.S. Highway 550, East Animas Road (County Road 250), Florida Road (County Road 240) and County Road 501 (which runs between Bayfield and Vallecito).
Road and bridge crews worked into the night clearing roads. As of 10 p.m., the only road that remained closed was East Animas Road, from the 3000 to 3700 blocks. The road was expected to be closed overnight and reopen sometime today.
At one point, at least a mile of asphalt on the road was buried in mud- and basketball-sized rocks, including one section where the mud was 10 to 12 feet thick.
“It's the natural process of the Animas Valley,” said Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County's Office of Emergency Management. “When we get this heavy of a rain, all of it runs off the cliff faces.”
Knowlton had said last week that he was monitoring rainfall because the ground was becoming saturated from September's heavy rainfall. He was on the scene when the largest part of the debris flow came down.
“I knew where previous slides had gone, so I parked down the road,” he said. “There was mud and rock debris 4 feet deep, and 4 to 5 feet of water was flowing across the road. Then a 5-foot-high wall of mud and debris came roaring across the road at about 60 mph.”
One part of a debris flow popped open a back door and ran across a man's kitchen floor in the 2800 block of East Animas Road. The house is owned by Wes Hartman, who stood barefoot at the end of his driveway Wednesday night, bragging about the golf ball-sized piece of hail he put into his freezer.
Knowlton's biggest concern was cutting a path through the road to allow emergency services to get through.
Southbound U.S. Highway 550 near mile marker 28 was closed for several hours because of a major mudslide off Animas Mountain. Cars were able to get through in the northbound lanes, although mud was covering much of those lanes in some parts. The Colorado Department of Transportation found three blocked culverts and had the road open to traffic by 9:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, in town
About the same time the mudslide was taking place on East Animas Road, a jolt of lightning struck a gas line, traveled up the line and ignited a fire in a hot water heater owned by Durango resident Annette Zuccolillo, who lives in 3100 block of East Seventh Avenue.
“There was a blue-red flash in the house like a mini-explosion in the air,” said Zuccolillo, who was home with her 12-year-old daughter, Josie, at the time. “The damage was pretty much limited to the water heater and heater next to it.”
Durango Fire & Rescue Authority doused the flames and saved the home.
“At least the bike and the skis didn't burn,” Zuccolillo said. “And Josie was so brave. She said, 'We've got to get the dogs out.'”
Including the fire at the Zuccolillos' home, DFRA responded to 11 incidents between 5:30 and 7:40 p.m. Volunteers and paid personnel jointly responded to provide backup coverage at all stations, which was particularly important in areas where roads were closed, said Fire Marshal Karola Hanks.
Rain water coming off the Animas Mountain area ran down 32nd Street, flooding the street and leaving some cars temporarily stranded on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks. Several other streets between Main Avenue and East Second Avenue also flooded.
Damage from hail, lighting
Golf ball-sized hail was reported across central La Plata County, including along County Road 240 (Florida Road).
“It was really scary,” said Indiana Reed, who lives near the intersection of county roads 234 and 240. “Everything at my house was covered in white, and my tomatoes were just stripped. All the leaves are off, and half the green tomatoes were on the ground.”
Three inches of hail were reported on County Road 501 near Vallecito.
Debris also flowed down across County Road 501 at the 7000 and 11000 blocks, but the road was cleared and open in a few hours.
La Plata Electric Association reported two power outages, one at Vallecito Reservoir affecting 981 customers and another at Falls Creek Ranch north of Junction Creek affecting about 95 customers. Crews restored power to all customers before 9 p.m. and said both were weather-related.
What happened?
“The storm built up near Cortez, peaked with intensity over Durango and dissipated 20 to 30 miles east of Vallecito,” said meteorologist Tom Renwick with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service. “It was dry air at 20,000 feet converging with lower-level moisture.”
Renwick said the storm cell was unusually intense.
The National Weather Service recommends that vehicles not attempt to drive on roadways covered by water. Anyone in an area where large hail is falling should go inside immediately and stay away from windows. The safest place is in an interior room on a bottom floor.
A flood advisory remained in effect for central La Plata County until 9 p.m. Wednesday. At least 1 to 2 inches of rain was reported in the Florida and Los Pinos river drainages.
“Any of the areas that experienced flash floods or debris flows may experience flooding again with minimal amounts of rainfall,” said Sarah Jacobson, office manager for the administration of La Plata County, in a news release. “Residents are asked to be especially cautious at night, when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. If flooding is observed, act quickly. Do not enter the water. Turn around and move up to higher ground. Do not stay in areas subject to flooding when water begins rising.”
shane@durangoherald.com
