Berthoud – A modular office building at a car dealership exploded Sunday morning, blowing the roof high into the air.
The explosion happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. at the Rainbow Auto Sales lot on the southeast corner of U.S. 287 and Colorado 56. No one was injured.
Mike Cagley had just arrived at his Christmas tree business next to the dealership and was about to turn on his generator when he heard the explosion.
“I was a little confused because I thought we were getting bombed or there was a plane crash,” Cagley said.
“It was the loudest sound I have ever heard. You know those firecrackers on the Fourth of July that don’t have lights? It was like, boom! It shook my body, and my hat nearly came off my head.”
Cagley said he turned around and saw parts of the building flying above the trees.
“The roof was about 200 feet in the air, the walls, everything was airborne,” Cagley said.
He ran to the dealership lot to make sure no one was inside and then called 911.
Authorities are investigating whether a gas line that ran under the building caused the explosion, but it was not connected, so the incident remains under investigation, said Berthoud Fire Protection spokeswoman Vicki Felton.
Xcel Energy was on the scene Sunday to turn off the gas and help authorities determine what happened.
Rainbow Auto Sales, which is owned by Dennis Henneberg, had just relocated to the lot Nov. 27 from a different address in Berthoud.
Henneberg, who thinks he took at least a $100,000 loss, said he is still open for business.
He plans to work out of a camper on the lot until he finds a more permanent solution.
His automobiles and trucks were not damaged.
“Business has got to go on,” he said.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
