What caused the car pile-up in Colorado that caused 4 deaths and almost 30 injured on I-25?

At least four people were killed and 29 injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Colorado on Tuesday. The accident, which occurred on Interstate 25 south of Pueblo around 10:00 a.m., involved more than 30 vehicles. Authorities said drivers had little to no visibility because of dust lifted by wind gusts reaching up to 61 miles per hour, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Local officials have indicated that near-zero visibility is considered one of the contributing factors, although other causes may have played a role, said Sherri Méndez, a spokesperson for the patrol.

At least three miles of I-25, from mile marker 93 northbound to mile marker 94 southbound, remained closed for several hours. The strongest winds were expected Tuesday afternoon across the High Plains.

However, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, Alan Reppert, warned that “strong winds look to continue into tomorrow with gusts in excess of 60-70 mph at times, and along with the winds, there can be blowing dust that can also reduce the visibility.”

The strong winds kicking up dust were also a factor in another multi-vehicle pile-up on I-70 west of Oakley, Kansas.

Wind-driven fires add to dangerous conditions

The weather conditions also worsened conditions for wildfires sparked by the strong winds, creating what officials described as a particularly dangerous situation. A wildfire broke out Tuesday morning in Beaver County, Oklahoma, and within hours had burned 37,000 acres, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Services.

The National Weather Service said that the high winds present “a particularly dangerous situation.”

“If fires start, they will spread rapidly and be extremely difficult to control,” warned the agency.

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