Gas explosion levels Denver apartment building, nine injured
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Firefighters respond to an apartment explosion in Denver, Colo. Tuesday. (KDVR-TV)
Nine people were injured Tuesday in an apparent natural gas explosion at an apartment complex in Denver.
Fire officials told Fox31 that two victims were in the building at the time of the explosion. One man was hospitalized in critical condition while one woman has pulled from the rubble and hospitalized in stable condition. Seven bystanders were treated and released at the scene.
Denver Fire Department spokesman Capt. Greg Pixley told The Associated Press that some of those injured were burned.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The blast leveled part of a one-story brick rowhouse located just south of downtown.
Television helicopter footage showed pieces of wood thrown like sticks and bricks spilled on the ground in front of the one-story building.
Alan Rodriguez, who lives four blocks away, told Fox31 that he thought his roof was caving in when he heard the blast. When he went outside to see what was going on, he saw a "mushroom cloud" of smoke.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.