At least eight people were hurt when a mountain home under construction exploded this afternoon in the town of South Fork in southwest Colorado.
Six of the injured were airlifted to Denver area hospitals, and rest were taken to Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, according to the Rio Grande County Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the blast is under investigation, but Rio Grande County Undersheriff Charles Chick issued a statement indicating a space heater may have ignited “fumes and heating oil” in the home at 0055 Iron Bridge Place in the River Greens subdivision just after 1 p.m.
The cause of the blast will be investigated by the home’s insurer and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the sheriff’s department.
Witnesses and rescuers have reported as many as 13 people at the home at the time of the explosion. The crew was thought to be installing drywall or insulation at the time of the explosion.
The explosion blew out the walls and the roof collapsed, photos from the scene indicate.
The homeowner is reportedly among the injured. A voice message left on the most recent registered property owner’s home voicemail was not returned.
The injured have not been named, so hospitals would not comment on their conditions, citing privacy rules. The family of one of those injured asked that his or her name and condition be withheld, according to a spokeswoman for University of Colorado Hospital, where four of the victims were taken.
Open person was airlifted to St. Anthony Central Hospital and another to Swedish Hospital in Englewood.
Helicopters from Flight for Life and AirLife Denver transported the victims. Rescuers from fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the region rushed to home site after the blast.
South Fork is on the southwest end of the San Luis Valley about 120 miles west of Walsenburg. South Fork is a growing town of part-time mountain homeowners at 8,200 feet in elevation, according to public records.
The town has a permanent population of about 650 residents and 274 households, but the population can swell to 2,400 in the peak months in the scenic region, according to city records.
Construction of mountain estates has boomed since the town incorporated in 1992, when the year-round population was about 350 residents, census records show.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
