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All Roads Open In Fourmile Canyon After Debris Cleared

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - All roads in Fourmile Canyon have opened after they were washed out with mud Thursday morning from heavy rains overnight. The National Weather Service had warned of flooding in an area burned by a wildfire west of Boulder.

A thunderstorm was dropped heavy rain over the Fourmile Canyon area Thursday afternoon. Residents in the area were urged to move to higher ground because of flooding concerns.

The area is susceptible to flooding and mudslides because a large wildfire last fall burned vegetation off mountainsides.

Copter4 video showed a couple of cars that were stuck in mud in the west end of the burn area.

Several roads in the area where the destructive Fourmile Fire burned last September were closed first thing in the morning, but road crews cleaned them up quickly. Fourmile Canyon from Poorman Road to Gold Run Road and Gold Run Road to Dixon Road remained closed throughout Thursday, but reopened at 5 p.m.

lefthand-map
(credit: CBS)

Some parts of the burn area received more than an inch of rain in a half an hour, which brought the loose sediment off the hillsides. A second storm hit a short time later, compounding problems.

More rain is expected Thursday night on the Front Range.

Fourmile Canyon
Fourmile Canyon on July 14. (credit: CBS)
Fourmile Canyon
Fourmile Canyon on July 14. (credit: CBS)

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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