Leak in line from gas well blamed in fatal Colorado blast

Ted Poszywak, left, chief of the Frederick-Firestone fire department, and public information officer Summer Campos, right, take questions from members of the media during a news conference, while standing next to a picture of the location where an unrefined gas leak explosion killed two people inside their home in Firestone, Colo., Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Poszywak said that an investigation has revealed that the April 17, 2017 explosion was caused by unrefined natural gas that was leaking from a small abandoned pipeline from a nearby well owned by Anadarko Petroleum. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) Ted Poszywak, left, chief of the Frederick-Firestone fire department, and public information officer Summer Campos, right, take questions from members of the media during a news conference, while standing next to a picture of the location where an unrefined gas leak explosion killed two people inside their home in Firestone, Colo., Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Poszywak said that an investigation has revealed that the April 17, 2017 explosion was caused by unrefined natural gas that was leaking from a small abandoned pipeline from a nearby well owned by Anadarko Petroleum. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

By Associated Press May 2, 2017 4 min read

FIRESTONE, Colo. (AP) – A home explosion in Colorado that killed two people was caused by odorless, unrefined natural gas leaking from a small pipeline that was old and believed to be out of service but was still connected to a nearby well, fire officials said Tuesday.

The line had been cut open some distance from the well, allowing gas to leak into the soil and make its way into the basement of the home, said Ted Poszywak, chief of the Frederick-Firestone fire department.

A third person was badly burned in the April 17 explosion in Firestone, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Denver.

Investigators do not know why the line remained connected to the well, or how or when it was cut and began to leak.

The line was 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and reached within about 6 feet (1.8 meters) of the house, Poszywak said. It was buried about 7 feet (2.1 meters) underground.