Flood Watch Issued For Boulder Burn Area

DENVER (CBS4/AP) - A storm bringing rain and snow to Colorado could trigger mudslides in the area hit by of one of the state's worst wildfires.

The National Weather Service says Wednesday's storm is the first significant rainfall over the area burned by the Fourmile wildfire. It destroyed 169 homes in the foothills west of Boulder in September.

Lack of vegetation on hillsides allows water to run off faster than those with trees, shrubs and grasses. The rushing water can lead to erosion and flooding.

Boulder County authorities have been training for the possibility of flooding in the area.

Larry Rasmussen is rebuilding. The home he lived in for 40 years was destroyed in the fire. Now his new home faces the new threat of flooding.

"In the 40 years that I've lived here I have had hardly any mudslides or erosion," Rasmussen said.

The homes that survived the fire are now being fortified with sandbags in case of flooding.

"We've heard so much from the county that if we get a heavy rain of even like a half an hour or 45 minutes that we're looking at mudslides and flooding," Rasmussen said.

Since 6 a.m. on Wednesday Boulder Emergency Management has been monitoring the storm at a command center. They get up-to-the-minute information from the canyon.

"With flash flooding the danger is it can happen quickly. What we're seeing in this type of weather, the pattern today, is that it's longer term," an official with Boulder Emergency Management said.

The flood danger is expected to continue for the next three years, until enough vegetation can take hold.

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