Double fatal Pueblo County home explosion likely caused by water heater

The explosion that killed two people in Pueblo County in early January was likely caused by a water heater, according to investigators.

Pueblo County deputies responded to a house near 57th Lane and Cherry Road, south of Boone, after nearby residents reported hearing an explosion at about 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 8, according to the sheriff’s office. By the time deputies arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames.

Officials with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control are still investigating the explosion, but believe it’s linked to the installation of a water heater at the home, according to an update from the sheriff’s office.

Investigators found propane gas at the scene, sheriff’s officials stated.

A man and a woman were in the home when the explosion happened, according to the sheriff’s office. Search crews found one of the bodies on Jan. 8 and the second in the morning of Jan. 9.