Bank Blast Due to Gas Buildup, Probers Declare

The explosion that destroyed the Crested Butte State Bank and killed three people was caused by a buildup of a gas in the historic coal mining town, federal investigators said Friday.

Ron Wolters, head of a national response team with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the investigation had ruled out the possibility that a bomb demolished the two-story brick building.

The explosion occurred moments after the bank opened Tuesday, leaving nothing but the bank vault standing. Three people were killed and 14 others were injured.

Residents speculated that a bomb might have been set off because two other businesses in town had received bomb threats during the weekend. Also, the bank was heated by electricity and there were no natural gas or propane lines to the building.

“It was a classic gas explosion,” Wolters said at a news conference. He said tests showed that the explosion was caused by a hydrocarbon-based gas, possibly either methane or propane.

Methane had been mentioned earlier because there are several old coal mines in the area. The closest mine was a quarter-mile away, but Wolters said the gas could have seeped through the ground and built up in the sealed crawl space under the building.