A massive explosion completely destroyed a gas station in Denver yesterday, sending two people to the hospital and shutting down surrounding streets. According to Denver Fire officials, the catastrophic blast is currently believed to have been caused by a natural gas leak that originated inside the building.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene near the intersection of 5th Avenue and Bryant Street around noon yesterday. Upon arrival, emergency crews found the entire gas station engulfed in flames. The structural damage was so severe, and the fire so intense, that it was deemed too dangerous for firefighters to enter the building.
Two Hospitalized with Blast Injuries
Tragically, two people were inside the gas station at the time of the explosion. Both victims were transported to a local hospital suffering from blast and burn injuries. Their current conditions have not been released.
The intense heat and flames quickly spread beyond the primary structure, igniting a vehicle parked behind the building. Denver Fire was ultimately able to knock down the blaze after a few hours of battling the flames from the exterior, but the gas station itself was reduced to a charred shell.
The sheer force of the explosion sent shockwaves through the surrounding neighborhood. Just down the street at Imperial Sport Bikes, employees reported hearing a massive crash before stepping outside to see a giant plume of thick, toxic smoke settling over the area.
Fearing that the flames could easily reach the station’s underground fuel tanks and cause an even larger disaster, the staff at the motorcycle shop immediately shut down their operations and sheltered in place.
“That’s a gas station. They have fuel pumps, and you know that could spread quickly,” an employee at Imperial Sport Bikes told 9News. “There’s no way we could get all of our motorcycles out in time. So yeah, we were very concerned with the amount of stock we have.”
A small section of Bryant Street remains closed between 5th and 6th Avenue as cleanup and official investigations continue. While early signs point to an internal natural gas explosion, Denver Fire continues to actively investigate the exact cause of the disaster.
