OAK CREEK — Shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday, rescue workers found the body of a man inside the remains of an Oak Creek house that had been leveled, apparently by a propane explosion, earlier in the day.
“I am sad to hear the victim was inside,” said Joe Opp, 53, who lives about 12 blocks from the explosion site, about 20 miles south of Steamboat Springs.
Peter Nauman is the owner of the house, which officials believe exploded because of an exterior propane tank. The Routt County coroner is not confirming the identity of the victim until further investigation. Chuck Vale, Routt County emergency manager, said the body was found in the basement crawl space.
The 8:30 a.m. explosion rattled windows several blocks away.
Opp said he heard a large boom, which he assumed was snow sliding off his roof. “I didn’t know the explosion happened because I just thought it was snow,” he said. “When I looked around outside, I saw smoke and started to hear sirens.”
Opp walked toward the smoke and found the home, which he described as an older mining-style house, completely flattened.
Anna Haislip, The Denver Post
