Flash floods kill at least 3 in Colorado, flood threat remains strong

Torrential rain causes evacuations and road closures, according to local media reports.

Colorado Springs police said they found a second victim while patrolling west of the city. A third victim was recovered from a north Boulder home Thursday morning.

The National Weather Service forecast continued heavy rains, with 6 to 10 inches falling through the weekend. Officials warned that residents of canyons nestled in the foothills remained at risk to flash floods.

"This is not an ordinary day, it is not an ordinary disaster. All the preparation in the world...it can't put people up those canyons while these walls of water are coming down," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.

Residents of Fourmile Canyon near Boulder and Coal Creek Canyon, northwest of Denver, were under mandatory evacuation orders. "I think we have a continually dangerous situation,'' said Pelle, who urged Boulder residents to stay home. "It's not a good day to travel. It's not a good day to risk your loved one's lives. It's a good day to hunker down."

Rain began early in the morning on Wednesday and continued throughout the day, becoming especially heavy in the evening, AccuWeather meteorologist Courtney Spamer says. Rain fell at nearly two inches per hour Wednesday evening and early Thursday, according to the Weather Channel.

The University of Colorado Boulder campus was closed Thursday after a torrent of water from Boulder Creek flooding or damaged about 40 buildings, or about a quarter of the campus. The campus was to be closed Friday as well. Officials also closed Boulder Valley and St. Vrain district schools.

Drivers of three vehicles had to be rescued from a flooded ditch after a road near Highway 287 near Broomfield collapsed.

A firefighter was reported stuck in a tree in Lefthand Canyon in Boulder County after floodwaters roared through. He was later rescued, according to the Boulder County sheriff's office.

Police scanners buzzed with emergencies as rescuers aided motorists caught in high waters. One officer told dispatchers about "banging inside the cars" as passengers sought help getting out.

Another reported a car submerged upside down, with at least one person missing.

Footage from KCNC-TV showed the dramatic rescue of a man from a car that upside down in a flooded creek in Lafayette.

WATCH VIDEO: Live coverage from KUSA in Denver

Near Lyons, rescuers were turned back by flooding St. Vrain Creek, where a dam failed near Pinewood springs early Thursday morning.

Tom Abbot, a nearby resident, said after rains began flooding the area and sent rocks and trees tumbling, he slept in his battered pickup truck Wednesday night.

Residents Jeremy and Molly Poore said they were woken by calls from anxious family members watching TV coverage of the flooding. Their rented home wasn't in danger, they said, but they worried about the home they had just considering buying in nearby Lyons. Authorities closed off access to that area early Thursday morning after reports of massive flooding.

The house, Jeremy Poole said, boasted riverfront views. "I bet it's not even there anymore," he said.

Nick Christensen with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office was following a deputy along state Highway 66 into Lyons when both full-sized SUVs began to be jostled by flood waters.

Colorado Department of Transportation workers said water was flowing over the road's 27-inch-high guardrails. Deputies and road crews were trying to access the area to check for stranded residents and damage.

"There were homes and businesses that were receiving significant impact," said Christensen. "It was flowing in waves down the road. There's definitely a lot of water."

Boulder Office of Emergency Management spokeswoman Gabrielle Boerkircher said volunteers all across the area were trying to help stranded people until emergency crews can arrive because many roads are impassable.

Boulder, Colo.

The Larimer County office of emergency information said an earthen dam in the Big Elk Meadows area southeast of Estes Park gave way and residents of Pinewood Springs and Blue Mountain were ordered to be ready to evacuate.

Residents of the Big Elk Meadows area were told by a recorded message they "should be seeking higher ground immediately."

The National Weather Service, citing Boulder officials, said multiple homes in the area have collapsed and urged people to move to higher ground.

The NWS issued a flash flood warning for Northern Jefferson and Boulder counties, saying that in many locations this is an "extremely dangerous and life threatening situation."