$5,000 Fines If Found In Tornado-Damaged Area: 'So Dangerous In Here'
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- There is a warning for hikers after a rare tornado struck the Front Range on Tuesday. The damage to the Devil's Head are of the Pike National Forest about an hour southwest of Denver, is so great the area remains closed.
About six acres of aspen, spruce, pine and fir trees were knocked down when the tornado struck on Tuesday afternoon.
"This ponderosa, the whole top third was swaying across the other tree and bending on top of the camper," said campsite host Ken Davis. "Like black just rolled in and masked out the sun."
Campsite host Ken Davis described the storm that rolled in on Tuesday afternoon. He said conditions changed quickly before the EF-1 tornado struck the area.
"But then you have this other crunching and thundering, popping sound, you know, what was that?" said Davis.
Devils Head is located at an elevation of roughly 9,700 feet in the southwest portion of Douglas County.
"Blowdowns are common in the forest but blowdowns due to tornadoes at this elevation are kind of rare," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Brian Banks.
Some of the oldest and tallest trees in the forest were snapped and twisted in the storm. That will keep the trail and area closed for some time.
"Until we get all the hazardous trees cut out of here. The way these trees fell is extremely dangerous," said Banks.
Crews from the Pike Hotshots were brought in to remove the debris but were called to a fire out of state.
"It is so dangerous in here," said Banks. "There's a very large number and they're all jack-strawed on top of each other, interlocking. That creates a situation where you get a lot of tension on that wood and it can pop loose at any second."
The U.S. Forest Service said the area is still so dangerous they will issue $5,000 fines to those found in the area. Officers will patrol the area and ticket anyone who may try to get in.