Agency warns of low water at campsites

As camping season kicks off, U.S. Forest Service officials are warning that some campgrounds may not have water in their wells or be low on water as Colorado faces widespread drought conditions.

White River National Forest Recreation Program Manager Paula Peterson said that anyone who is planning to camp this summer is being encouraged to conserve water after the state experienced a historically low snowpack.

“The wells that serve our campgrounds may be starting with less water due to the light snowpack, so we’re asking all campers to conserve water,” Peterson said. “This includes filling up any holding tanks in RVs at home rather than at the campground so that our water supplies last the whole season.”

The Lowry and Prospector campgrounds as well as the Windy Point Group Site at the Dillon Reservoir currently do not have water because the well that serves them is dry this spring, the release states. So, campers should bring their own water.

All visitors should also check the White River National Forest website before leaving for any updates related to drought conditions, such as fire restrictions, which can be found at FS.USDA.gov/r02/whiteriver/alerts.

Visitors are asked to abide by fire restrictions.

— Summit Daily

One person dead in Montebello shooting

One person died overnight in a shooting in northeast Denver’s Montbello neighborhood, police said Thursday.

The Denver Police Department first posted about the fatal shooting in the 19000 block of East 49th Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Thursday.

The block is near the intersection of 49th and Peoria Street.

As of Thursday morning, no other injuries had been reported and no suspects had been publicly identified.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Alcohol suspected in fatal five-car crash

A 20-year-old suspected of drunken driving was arrested Wednesday morning in a five-car Commerce City crash that killed one person and injured two others on U.S. 85, police said.

The driver, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested on investigation of DUI and vehicular homicide, according to the Commerce City Police Department.

Paramedics took two people to the hospital with unspecified injuries, including the at-fault driver, and one person died in the crash, Commerce City police said.

Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, but the investigation is ongoing, police said.

— Lauren Penington, The Denver Post

High winds force delays at airport

Flights at Denver International Airport were grounded for a time Thursday afternoon because of high winds. Hundreds of flights were delayed as thunderstorms and hail hit Colorado’s Eastern Plains.

Wind gusts at the airport hit 45 mph at 5:18 p.m. and blowing dust limited visibility, according to the National Weather Service.

Airlines reported 744 flight delays at the Denver airport as of 8:05 p.m., including 263 delays on Southwest, 214 on United and 154 on SkyWest, 33 on Frontier and 25 on American Airlines, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Severe thunderstorms were expected to bring wind gusts up to 70 mph, golf ball-sized hail and the potential for tornadoes to the Eastern Plains, NWS forecasters said.

— Katie Langford, The Denver Post