Leak in Gas Line Found Near Site of Bank Explosion

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 2-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.

Officials said 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 leak in the underground gas main was found Friday night between the bank and an antiques store.

Local, state and federal investigators believe a gas caused the explosion, but they are unsure which gas is to blame. Naturally occurring methane gas has been cited as a possible cause, although no traces were found in the bank ruins or in holes bored 20 feet into the ground in the explosion area.

Workers on Saturday found a ruptured coupling in the gas main about 2 feet underground, and one section of the pipe apparently had separated from the coupling, Miller said.

A metallurgist will examine the pipe to determine if the coupling ruptured as a result of the explosion or if it was already broken when the blast occurred.