A new series of reoccurring caches along the Raleigh Peak fire road, which was devasted during the Buffalo Creek fire. On the afternoon of May 18, 1996 an unattended campfire near Wellington Lake in the Pike National Forest started the Buffalo Creek fire. In the end, the aggressive fire had ripped through eleven miles of forest in only five days. Although ponderosa pine trees can often survive low burning ground fires, the Buffalo Creek fire burned very hot, crowning in the tops of the trees and killing many of them. Next, On July 12, 1996, an intense thunderstorm poured 2.5 inches of rain onto the Buffalo Creek burn in just two hours. About one quarter of the Buffalo Creek watershed and three quarters of the Spring Creek watershed had been burned. Little vegetation was left to protect the naked slopes. Work crews had laid down hay bales and logs and planted trees, but it couldn’t stop the massive influx of water.
An ocean of black water and heavy sediment rushed into Buffalo Creek, Sand Draw, and Spring Creek and then into the South Platte River. As a result, the debris and water raised the river level by ten feet, creating walls of water that rushed downstream. The surge left behind a twelve mile trail of ashy mud, splintered pines, and tumbled boulders.
The village of Buffalo Creek on the banks of Buffalo Creek was devastated by the flood. The electricity and telephone lines went down. The town’s entire water system was ripped out. The raging waters uprooted trees and utility poles and ruined cars. The fire station, which straddled the creek, was completely destroyed. A brand new $80,000 ambulance was wrecked. The nearby community center was pushed eight feet off its foundation. Many homes were flooded and damaged. Jefferson County Highway 126, the main road through town, was washed out for an eighth of a mile and several other roads were damaged. At least one bridge was destroyed. Worst of all, two Buffalo Creek residents lost their lives