Investigators said Saturday they have pinpointed a leak in a propane gas line near a bank wrecked by an explosion that killed three employees and injured 14 people.
The gas company, Salgas, and its parent, Empire Gas Inc., began excavating a two-block section of line that was sealed off Tuesday when high levels of propane were traced in the wreckage of the Crested Butte State Bank.Authorities stressed they can't prove and may never be able to prove whether the rupture found in the propane line caused the blast, which leveled the bank March 6.
Fire Protection District Manager Mike Miller said the obvious leak in the underground gas main was found Friday night between the bank and an antiques store.
"Apparently, the pressurized air drove propane from the saturated soils into the crawl space of the antiques store," Miller said.
Local, state and federal investigators believe a gas caused the explosion, but are unsure which to blame.