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Yampa blast leaves two in critical condition
By Matt Stensland
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
A propane gas explosion at a Yampa home sent two men to the hospital Monday afternoon.
It appears Michael Teters and Chuck Broadbent of Yampa were doing work inside Teters' home at 29100 Routt County Road 8 when an explosion occurred in the crawlspace.
Both were taken to Yampa Valley Medical Center by ambulance with burn injures from the home, about one mile east of Yampa. The men were flown to another hospital in critical condition later in the afternoon, a YVMC spokesperson said Monday evening.
A Routt County Sheriff's officer said at least one of the men was taken to Denver.
Rescue workers estimate the blast occurred between 1:30 and 2 p.m. A neighbor called to report the blast.
Yampa Fire Protection District ambulance crews found the men conscious outside of the home, Yampa firefighter Scott Delto said.
A new and old water heater were sitting in the front yard of the home, but officials did not know what the men were working on in the house.
There was a small fire when firefighters arrived, but after the explosion, one of the injured men managed to turn off the gas feeding the house, sheriff's officers said. That saved the structure, but it still was not safe to enter.
The cause of the explosion is unknown, but officers think it was an accident. They found glass that had been thrown more than 30 feet from the home by the blast. The log siding and crawlspace wall were pushed out nearly a foot by the explosion.
