Town of Ophir's power restored after massive western Colorado avalanche
After getting more than 3 feet of snow in 3 days, the avalanche danger is now listed as "high" in the mountains around Telluride, Ophir and Lake City. Natural avalanches are likely on steep slopes in that section of the San Juan Mountains in western Colorado, and avalanche mitigation is underway.
In the Ophir an avalanche on Wednesday knocked out power to the historic mining town. Power crews were able to get power restored overnight after clearing off the power delivery equipment that got disrupted by the slide.
An avalanche also covered the only road into and out of the town -- Ophir Road near Highway 145. That road was still closed on Thursday to vehicles as cleanup efforts continue. It might not be reopened until after Friday, according to a San Miguel County Sheriff's Office Facebook post.
People who are interested are being allowed to walk over the snow slide, according to the sheriff's office.
