Four dead in Colorado I-25 pileup as high winds spark wildfires and avalanche rescue
At least four people are dead and dozens more injured after a massive multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 25 in Colorado.
(NBC)- At least four people are dead and dozens more injured after a massive multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 25 south of Pueblo, as powerful winds battered the region.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, the crash involved more than 30 vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles, pickup trucks pulling horse trailers, SUVs and passenger cars.
“A multiple vehicle crash just south of the city limits,” said Major Brian Lyons with the Colorado State Patrol.
Authorities say the wreck happened Tuesday amid severe weather conditions.
“Adverse weather conditions with high winds and blowing dirt across I-25,” Lyons said.
Wind gusts reaching up to 61 miles per hour created “brown out” conditions, with officials saying visibility was “next to nothing” at the time of the crash.
The extreme weather has caused widespread damage across the Plains. In northwestern Oklahoma, a wildfire in Woodward forced at least 3,000 residents to evacuate.
Another blaze ignited in nearby Beaver County, Oklahoma, rapidly spreading north into Kansas within hours. Authorities say the “Ranger Road Fire” burned approximately 15,000 acres by Tuesday afternoon before exploding to an estimated 145,000 acres by evening.
In Kansas, more than 11,000 people were forced to evacuate from several towns as the fast-moving wildfire spread.
Meanwhile, in California, emergency crews were conducting a rescue operation following an avalanche near Lake Tahoe.
Captain Russell Greene with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said teams deployed snow cats, snowmobiles and skiers in the search effort. Of more than a dozen backcountry skiers caught in the avalanche, six had been found and rescued as of Tuesday night.
Authorities across multiple states continue to respond to the severe weather and its aftermath as investigations into the Colorado crash remain ongoing.
