Explosions Colorado

A mysterious explosion leveled a two-story brick bank building in a central Colorado ski resort Tuesday, killing three people and injuring 14 others, authorities said. More than 600 volunteers from throughout the area converged on the tiny community of Crested Butte, 120 miles southwest of Denver, to help rescue survivors at the Crested Butte State Bank. Many used their hands to dig through the rubble of the bank that exploded shortly after it opened at 9 a.m.

Investigators said Saturday they have pinpointed a leak in a propane gas line near a bank wrecked by an explosion that killed three employees and injured 14 people. The gas company Salgas and its parent, Empire Gas Inc., began excavating a 2-block section of line that was sealed off Tuesday when high levels of propane were traced in the wreckage of the Crested Butte State Bank.

Investigators said Saturday they have pinpointed a leak in a propane gas line near a bank wrecked by an explosion that killed three employees and injured 14 people. The gas company Salgas and its parent, Empire Gas Inc., began excavating a 2-block section of line that was sealed off Tuesday when high levels of propane were traced in the wreckage of the Crested Butte State Bank.

The explosion that destroyed the Crested Butte State Bank and killed three people was caused by a buildup of a gas in the historic coal mining town, federal investigators said Friday. Ron Wolters, head of a national response team with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the investigation had ruled out the possibility that a bomb demolished the two-story brick building. The explosion occurred moments after the bank opened Tuesday, leaving nothing but the bank vault standing.

The explosion that destroyed the Crested Butte State Bank and killed three people was caused by a buildup of a gas in the historic coal mining town, federal investigators said Friday. Ron Wolters, head of a national response team with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the investigation had ruled out the possibility that a bomb demolished the two-story brick building. The explosion occurred moments after the bank opened Tuesday, leaving nothing but the bank vault standing.

A buildup of methane from old mines may have set off the explosion that leveled Crested Butte State Bank, killed three employees and injured 14 other people, authorities said. A pathologist who examined the bodies said he found no evidence that a bomb caused the blast Tuesday in the Rocky Mountain ski resort. The dead were identified as Donna Smith, Jade Woelk and Monica Henning, all of Crested Butte. Seven of the injured remained hospitalized, three of them in serious condition.

An explosive charge used to clear mine fields blew up prematurely during a training exercise Friday, killing three soldiers, a Ft. Carson Army Post spokeswoman said. The names of the victims were being withheld until relatives could be notified, Spec. 4 Kim Hoppens of the Ft. Carson public affairs office said. The accident occurred at the Ft. Carson Training Maneuver Area on the south end of the Army post, which is south of Colorado Springs.

A buildup of methane from old mines may have set off the explosion that leveled Crested Butte State Bank, killed three employees and injured 14 other people, authorities said. A pathologist who examined the bodies said he found no evidence that a bomb caused the blast Tuesday in the Rocky Mountain ski resort. The dead were identified as Donna Smith, Jade Woelk and Monica Henning, all of Crested Butte. Seven of the injured remained hospitalized, three of them in serious condition.

A mysterious explosion leveled a two-story brick bank building in a central Colorado ski resort Tuesday, killing three people and injuring 14 others, authorities said. More than 600 volunteers from throughout the area converged on the tiny community of Crested Butte, 120 miles southwest of Denver, to help rescue survivors at the Crested Butte State Bank. Many used their hands to dig through the rubble of the bank that exploded shortly after it opened at 9 a.m.

An explosive charge used to clear mine fields blew up prematurely during a training exercise Friday, killing three soldiers, a Ft. Carson Army Post spokeswoman said. The names of the victims were being withheld until relatives could be notified, Spec. 4 Kim Hoppens of the Ft. Carson public affairs office said. The accident occurred at the Ft. Carson Training Maneuver Area on the south end of the Army post, which is south of Colorado Springs.