Gas leaked eyed in Colorado blast that killed 1

[Mrs. Sharon B. Hodge]

Gas leaked eyed in Colorado blast that killed 1
By CATHERINE TSAI, Associated Press Writer

PUEBLO, Colo. – Authorities were trying to determine whether a natural gas leak caused an explosion that leveled a restaurant and a shop, killing one person, injuring at least seven and forcing several downtown blocks to evacuate.

At least one witness said she smelled gas after the blast Thursday and a leaking pipe was found in the street next to the restaurant, but it wasn't clear if the pipe was ruptured by the explosion or contributed to it, Fire Department spokesman Woody Percival said. The pipe was capped.

Authorities did not know whether the restaurant was open when the blast occurred around 2:30 p.m. or how many people were inside. Crews pulled a survivor from the rubble more than four hours later. Fire Chief Chris Riley said the man was conscious and talking.

By late Thursday, authorities had no reason to believe anyone was left in the buildings, Percival said. Buildings for several blocks in all directions remained evacuated.

A total of seven people, including the one who died, were transported to the hospital. An eighth person went unassisted later, said Percival, who didn't know the conditions of the patients.

The person who died was one of two women rescued from a shop next to the Branch Inn restaurant, Riley said. Her identity was not released.

Smoke still rose from the rubble hours after the explosion. Glass block, bricks and other debris were strewn more than 100 feet from the restaurant. The third-floor windows of an apartment across the street were blown out.

The Branch Inn sign lay on its side in the street, and an odor of burnt plastic filled the air. The blast blew the restaurant's front door into an intersection, where a hinge lodged in the fender of a sport utility vehicle waiting at a stop sign.

The SUV driver, 35-year-old Christine Guerin, said she was looking for a business when she heard an explosion and saw glass flying toward her.

"You couldn't even see the building. It was just smoke, black smoke," she said, adding that she could hear a hissing noise and smell gas after she got out of her car.
Police quickly arrived quickly and began escorting people away.

Percival did not know what type of business was in the shop. He said the neighborhood is dotted with boutiques that sell clocks, antiques, clothing and gifts.
"I don't recognize what's there," he said.

Pueblo, a city of about 106,000, is 100 miles south of Denver.