Weather raises Cain up the Fryingpan

BASALT ” Nasty weather in the Fryingpan Valley Thursday spawned everything from a wildfire to mudslides and power outages.

A lightning storm rolled through the Basalt area shortly after 3 p.m. accompanied by gusty winds, small hail and microbursts of rain. Several lightning strikes were spotted in the high country throughout the midvalley.

A wildfire was reported at 3:20 p.m. in an obscure gulch about 6 miles from Basalt on Fryingpan Road. Crews from the Basalt fire department scouted access to the White River National Forest lands above singer Neil Diamond’s home. The wildfire was not threatening any structures, authorities said.

A Basalt fire crew hiked into the area of the small fire at about 4 p.m., and a fire engine and crew from the federal interagency headquarters in Grand Junction was en route to the scene.

Firefighting efforts were aided by rain that was reported as “torrential” in some areas by authorities.

The storm produced a rockslide on Fryingpan Road below the Ruedi Reservoir dam, according to an emergency services dispatcher in Pitkin County. Firefighters also reported encountering mud on the road between one and three miles outside of Basalt.

The storm knocked power out in Thomasville, farther up the Fryingpan Valley.