An explosion that ignited a devastating fire at a north Denver home Thursday night may have been caused by lightning, officials say.
Around 11:30 p.m. firefighters were called to a home at 4524 Eureka Court, said Todd Bower, deputy chief of the Denver Fire Department.
Three people were inside the home when an explosion sparked the destructive blaze. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, and everyone inside the home was uninjured.
What caused the explosion has yet to be determined, but investigators believe that it may have been a result of lightning striking the attached garage, Bower said.
The bolt of lightning likely caused several propane tanks in the garage to ignite and explode.
This morning a charred car was under the rubble that used to be the garage of the burned home. The south side of the home was nothing but a skeleton of wood and black ash.
The home is considered a total loss, Bower said.
The American Red Cross Mile High Chapter was called to the home and are providing food and lodging for the two adults who were displaced.
Cindy and Wilbert Gregory, who live next door to the home, said the two were renting the home and had recently moved in. Wilbert Gregory said the third person inside the home at the time of the explosion does not live there.
Neighbors were shocked by the quick destruction.
“I saw this blaze come down from the sky, almost like a meteor,” said Sharon Grant, who lives across the street. “I saw it hit and then all of a sudden boom!”
Grant said she called 911 after she saw the lightning bolt hit the top of the garage. Several residents in the neighborhood said they heard several loud blasts and felt the ground shake.
Cindy Gregory said they heard three booms, each one louder than the next.
“I ran out of the house and saw the flames gushing out,” she said.
The heat and flames severely damaged the Gregory’s home, scorching the siding and spreading into the attic. The couple’s bedroom window is less than 20 feet from what used to be their neighbors’ garage.
“Firefighters told us that it would have only taken two more minutes for the fire to reach the insulation in the attic,” Wilbert Gregory said. “Two more minutes and our house would have looked like” that of our neighbors.
The fire caused an estimated $20,000-$30,000 in damage to the Gregory’s home, Bower said.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
