Scary weather ushered a spate of emergencies in Morgan County tonight. Streets in Brush flooded as trees snapped in hard wind, rain and hail about 7 p.m., Sheriff James Crone said.
A power pole fell in the grandstands at the Morgan County Fairgrounds on the first night of annual Brush Rodeo. Fortunately nearly 300 people were huddled in metal buildings at the fairgrounds, including visitors from local nursing homes.
Fearing a tornado, Crone ordered everyone evacuated in the heavy, sustained rainfall. No one was injured.
“We had a mess on our hands,” he said.
At about the same time, Brush police were summoned to help as floodwaters rushed into the East Morgan County Hospital along U.S. 34 in Brush.
Patients were relocated from three rooms in the 25-bed hospital, hospital spokeswoman Karen Temple said.
“We had just horrific wind and rain,” she said. “I could hear the sirens going, but we’re OK. The community has responded, and we’re fine.”
Minutes later, an unrelated fire broke out at Xcel Energy’s Pawnee Station in Brush.
Coal on a belt headed to the furnace burst into flames, but the fire was quickly snuffed out, said Xcel spokesman Tom Henley.
The 27-year-old coal-fired, steam-electric plant burns Low-sulfur coal from the Eagle Butte Mine near Gillette, Wyo.
Brush is 90 miles northeast of Denver.
Parts of Morgan, Logan and Weld counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 8 tonight, according to the National Weather Service office in Boulder.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
