An 80-year-old man was killed Sunday afternoon after heavy rain fell on the Aspen Acres burn scar in Beulah, triggering fast-moving floodwaters that swept him downstream, authorities said.
Beulah fire crews tried to rescue the man near the intersection of Colorado 78 and Central Avenue, where he got stuck in the high flood waters, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said.
First responders began their search on foot, as the county’s drone team and Flight for Life searched by air. The man was found in a creek, about 2 miles downstream from where he was swept away, the sheriff’s office said.
The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Henry R. Humphreys.
The dangerous flooding came as 1 to 1½ inches of rain fell in the Beulah area, where the 102,000-acre Aspen Acres fire destroyed more than 300 homes earlier this summer, in about 1½ hours Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. A flood watch was issued earlier Sunday to warn of the potential flooding and debris flows that could happen from the excessive rainfall, the sheriff’s office said.
Heavy rains also triggered flooding and massive debris flows in late July, as the small community continues to recover from the largest active wildfire burning in Colorado. Burn scars are particularly vulnerable to flooding because wildfires can strip away vegetation and leave soil unable to absorb heavy rain, sending water, mud and debris rushing downhill.
More heavy rain is expected this week as monsoonal moisture moves into the region. Afternoon thunderstorms could bring heavy rain capable of triggering flash flooding over the Aspen Acres burn scar, forecasters with the National Weather Service’s Pueblo office said Monday.
“Confidence in a cell hitting the burn scar is low (less than 20%), if one does so, it could lead to flash flooding,” forecasters warned.