{"id":1313178,"date":"2019-08-05T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T12:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/flash-flooding-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area\/"},"modified":"2019-08-05T06:52:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T12:52:00","slug":"flash-flooding-sunday-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/flash-flooding-sunday-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Flash flooding Sunday wreaks havoc on Basalt area"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7547169811321\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-985501-113\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Maddie Vincent \/ The Aspen Times | A frontend loader heads up the Fryingpan Road on Sunday evening to clear it of mudslides after a rainstorm caused flash flooding on the Lake Christine Fire burn scar. Officials said there were seven spots where debris covered the road.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>A frontend loader heads up the Fryingpan Road on Sunday evening to clear it of mudslides after a rainstorm caused flash flooding on the Lake Christine Fire burn scar. Officials said there were seven spots where debris covered the road.<\/strong><br \/>Maddie Vincent \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11.jpg\" alt=\"A frontend loader heads up the Fryingpan Road on Sunday evening to clear it of mudslides after a rainstorm caused flash flooding on the Lake Christine Fire burn scar. Officials said there were seven spots where debris covered the road.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert \/ The Aspen Times | The confluence where the Fryingpan River comes into the Roaring Fork River in Basalt shows a mix of mud and debris Sunday after the flash flooding on Basalt Mountain.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The confluence where the Fryingpan River comes into the Roaring Fork River in Basalt shows a mix of mud and debris Sunday after the flash flooding on Basalt Mountain.<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-1.jpg\" alt=\"The confluence where the Fryingpan River comes into the Roaring Fork River in Basalt shows a mix of mud and debris Sunday after the flash flooding on Basalt Mountain.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Maddie Vincent \/ The Aspen Times | An Eagle County deputy was stationed at the start of the Fryingpan Road in Basalt as it was closed Sunday to uphill traffic when a rainstorm caused mud and debris to cross the road in seven places, officials said.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>An Eagle County deputy was stationed at the start of the Fryingpan Road in Basalt as it was closed Sunday to uphill traffic when a rainstorm caused mud and debris to cross the road in seven places, officials said.<\/strong><br \/>Maddie Vincent \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/flooding-atd-080519-11-2.jpg\" alt=\"An Eagle County deputy was stationed at the start of the Fryingpan Road in Basalt as it was closed Sunday to uphill traffic when a rainstorm caused mud and debris to cross the road in seven places, officials said.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/flash-flooding-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/flash-flooding-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In a few harrowing hours Sunday afternoon, fire and law enforcement officials scrambled to warn residents of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/crews-responding-to-flash-flooding-on-lake-christine-fire-burn-scar-near-basalt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"flash flooding (opens in a new tab)\">flash flooding<\/a> in the area of the Lake Christine Fire burn scar, the biggest safety issue in the year since the wildfire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Chief Scott Thompson said late Sunday night that this was by far the most significant flooding since the fire, which broke out in July 2018 and burned more than 12,500 acres on Basalt Mountain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is the biggest so far, but there is potential to be much worse than this was,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cNobody was hurt, and no houses were swept away, so that\u2019s always good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said crews were still assessing the damage late Sunday night and will be out Monday morning checking on houses along Pinon and Cedar roads, which are just above Basalt, for structural damage. That is where the initial 911 calls started to come in around 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Frying Pan Road was closed roughly three hours. Thompson said there were at least seven locations where mud or debris went over the road and into the river.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A heavy rainstorm that moved in around 5 p.m. Sunday sent mud, rocks, trees and other debris down into the Fryingpan Valley and into the Fryingpan River. The heavy rains caused mudslides that blocked the road about 1.5 miles upriver from Basalt, trapping at least a half-dozen cars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis one we didn\u2019t get much advance notification,\u201d said Thompson, who lives on the other side of Basalt Mountain and said it wasn\u2019t raining at all at his house. \u201cIt was very isolated, and the storm sat still and didn\u2019t move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said they are working with the National Weather Service to put rain gauges on the mountain. In the year since the fire, officials have had planning and training meetings on what to do if there was flooding in the scar area. Some of the Pitkin County alerts that were sent out were already set up and sent as needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Residents on Pinon and Cedar roads above Basalt were told to evacuate or seek higher ground as \u201csignificant water flows\u201d were reported in the area by law enforcement on scene in the first hour of the storm. A Basalt resident at the scene who asked not to be identified said those roads were covered with debris, including tree trunks and large rocks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A video from another Basalt resident sent to The Aspen Times showed the road leading to the Basalt shooting range, which is where the wildfire originated, washed out and water rushing along the side and in the middle of the road.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Frying Pan Road reopened about 8:55 p.m. but only for people coming down the valley. Traffic is being limited going up the road until crews can assess damage and look for any safety issues, Thompson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The first alert came about 5:30 p.m. warning of \u201cactive flooding in the Lake Christine Burn Area.\u201d From there, the updates kept coming, including an evacuation notice for those on Pinon and Cedar roads, and told residents to \u201cshelter-in-place or seek higher ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thompson said it is critical for residents in the area to sign up for the alert system as that is where the information will continue to come from.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cCrews are working to clear debris and reach trapped persons,\u201d officials said in an alert issued at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">An Eagle County Sheriff\u2019s deputy on scene blocking the road just outside of Basalt said there were reports of numerous slides on the road. A frontend loader was sent up the road with law enforcement about 7 p.m. to clear debris. Crews also went further up the road to see if there were people at Ruedi Reservoir who might be stuck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The National Weather Service issued the first flash flood warning at 5:45 p.m. for areas including Basalt and El Jebel, and it was extended twice into the evening and was set to expire at 11:45 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thompson said as part of their past training, an evacuation center was set up at the Eagle County community center at Crown Mountain Park as a precaution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><a id=\"N0x2169410N0x224a340:N0x2169410N0x2162c00\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/trending\/after-surviving-lake-christine-fire-lane-family-battles-flood-and-mud-threat\/\">On Aug. 4, 2018, a flash flood<\/a> just a month after the wildfire started sent mud, rock and ash into the area near Ace Lane\u2019s property just off Highway 82 across from the Whole Foods. It threatened a barn that included affordable-housing residences, pumped tons of silt into a pond stocked with bass and blue gill and wiped out the majority of 8 miles of mountain-biking trail that included 2,300 feet of boardwalk features.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thompson said Sunday in all about 50 people from agencies up and down the Roaring Fork Valley responded to the latest incident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis storm was so dynamic at the beginning, we had to kind of keep reacting,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/flash-flooding-wreaks-havoc-on-basalt-area\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A frontend loader heads up the Fryingpan Road on Sunday evening to clear it of mudslides after a rainstorm caused flash flooding on the Lake Christine Fire burn scar. Officials said there were seven spots where debris covered the road.Maddie Vincent \/ The Aspen Times The confluence where the Fryingpan River comes into the Roaring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1313178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-21 19:50:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1313178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313178\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1313178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1313178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1313178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}