Mud Slide Washes Away Cars Near Waldo Canyon Burn Area

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- Crews are cleaning up after a mud slide washed away cars near the Waldo Canyon fire burn area in Manitou Springs.

Even 24 hours after the mud slide there remains a lot of mud, rocks and debris piled up alongside Highway 24 leading into Manitou. It was all pushed aside as part of the cleanup process.

The mud slide covered four miles of the highway. It's the second round of major flooding in the area in just two weeks.

Last summer's Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs left a lot of exposed acreage with little vegetation to stop a mud slide even with as little as a half inch of rainfall.

"It was piled up just six, seven, eight inches of just mud, debris, rocks, bottles and grass," said driver Christine Hensley.

The mud slide ripped along the highway and picked up cars with terrified drivers.

"We did a 180, turned us around, we were facing oncoming traffic, bumping into them, bumping into us," said Hensley.

Hensley and her daughter Katie were inside a Ford Escape that eventually came to rest on top of a concrete barrier.

"We prayed for about 10 seconds, 'God take care of us, keep us safe, let us not turn over' and we landed on the median," said Hensley.

Once the worst was over earth movers and plow trucks began to move the heavy mud and debris. Drivers were stuck behind road blocks for several hours.

Unfortunately people who live in that area believe it's only the beginning.

"I think we're all on edge that every time they're forecasting heavy rains everyone is going to be on the edge of their seats just waiting again for whatever will happen next," said Manitou resident Mike Wade.

Even though several vehicles were towed out of the canyon no one was seriously injured.