A gas-plant explosion in Weld County forced the evacuation of a number of employees and five homes Tuesday morning.
One person suffered minor injuries at the Spindle Hill Energy Center near Fort Lupton and was taken to Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, said Weld County sheriff’s spokeswoman Margie Martinez.
Fort Lupton Fire responded to a reported explosion at 11:09 a.m. and found black smoke billowing from the plant.
“There was a gas leak and then an explosion,” said Steve Pischae, a spokesman for Mountain View Fire, which helped douse the blaze.
The Spindle Hill gas plant, 9101 Weld County Road 14, is owned by DCP Midstream of Denver. The plant processes natural gas and propane.
It isn’t known what type of gas blew up or what sparked the explosion.
Initially firefighters feared there would be a second explosion, said Jesse Hodgson, a spokesman for Mountain View.
“It took about one-and-a-half hours to get the fire under control and another hour or more to extinguish because it still had some gas leaking,” Pischae said. “They didn’t want to put it out until they could figure out where it was coming from and shut the valves.”
Employees of DCP Midstream worked with the emergency crews to shut down the gas, said company spokeswoman Roz Elliott.
Homes in the area were evacuated and nearby roads closed, Pischae said.
The plant employees and others who work for contractors at the scene were evacuated to the nearby Branding Iron restaurant.
“We wanted to make sure we got everyone to a warm area,” Elliott said.
Residents were allowed back in their homes later Tuesday.
An investigation is underway to determine what caused the gas leak and explosion.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmghee@denverpost.com
