What a crazy day here in the Springs. Sinkhole at Vondelpark Dr. and Chestnut St. @csgazette pic.twitter.com/buj3NLHLD5
— Jerilee Bennett (@jerileebennett) August 11, 2015
Heavy rain Monday opened a sinkhole in Colorado Springs big enough to swallow a car. City officials have no estimate of when they will reopen the damaged street just west of I-25.
The city has become all too familiar with sinkholes this year. Corey Farkas, head of the Colorado Springs Streets Department, has called the wet weather and aged infrastructure in his city a "perfect storm" for sinkholes.
The same storm sent water mixed with mud and debris from the Waldo Canyon burn scar flowing through parts of Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs Monday but mitigation work seems to have prevented long-lasting damage.
The Gazette reports that classrooms were flooded at the Alpine Autism Center, which is at the base of the area burned by 2012 wildfire, but all the children were safely evacuated. Because of the center's location, staffers are prepared to evacuate quickly and each student has a bag ready to go if needed.
In Manitou Springs, mud covered the patios at the Manitou Spa and other businesses.
Business owners say the damage wasn't as bad as seen in another flood in August 2013, almost two years ago to the day.
