Authorities reassure nervous neighbors after house explosion

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012, 10:06pm

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — In a neighborhood meeting in Castle Rock Wednesday night, Fire Chief Art Morales shared the cause of a house explosion with almost 150 residents in that area.

Morales says, “We are 100 percent sure this was caused by natural gas.”

It turns out there was a leak in a room with the furnace and water heater at 6942 Sulpher Lane. One of the appliances caused a spark on October 12 and the incredibly powerful explosion obliterated the house.

Morales called it a miracle everyone survived.

Morales says, “We don’t know which one of those appliances this was, we just know that that’s the point of origin.”

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Community remembers Jessica Ridgeway at memorial service

Submitted by KDVR Web Staff

Monday, October 15th, 2012, 4:25pm

ARVADA, Colo. — A memorial service is planned Tuesday night to remember 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway.

The service at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada is open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m.

Watch live streaming coverage by clicking here.

The church at W. 62nd Ave. and Ward Rd. was chosen because it can hold 3,600 people.

Associate Pastor John Malito talked about what the church hopes comes out of the memorial for Jessica’s family. “That we’re sorry. That we ask the Lord to comfort them in this difficult time, that we just want to be there to talk with them, to be of any of assistance, mostly to listen.”

People who attend the service are asked to wear purple… Jessica’s favorite color.

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Second Public CNG Station to Open in Weld County on Thursday

Submitted by Jennifer Finch, Information Specialist, Weld County Office of County Commissioners

Monday, October 15th, 2012, 3:45pm

Second Public CNG Station to Open in Weld County on Thursday

A new public Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station is scheduled to open on Thursday, October 18, in Greeley. The SkyBlu CNG fueling station opening celebration begins at 2:00 p.m. at their new fueling site located in the Agfinity station, 1607 2nd Avenue (16th Street and Highway 85 Bypass).

The Greeley SkyBlu station is the second public CNG station to open in Weld County this year. On June 29, SkyBlu opened the first Weld County public CNG station in Firestone near the Highway 119 and I-25 intersection.

“We are excited about the Greeley CNG fueling station,” said Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer, who formed the Weld County Natural Gas Coalition – a group of government and industry officials working to create an alternative fuel corridor between Colorado and Wyoming. “The more CNG stations that are open to the public, the better.

Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer, seen here speaking at the Weld County Fleet Event held last June prior to the first public CNG station opening in Weld County, will speak at the October 18th opening in Greeley.

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Neighbors give back to those affected by Castle Rock explosion

Submitted by KDVR Web Staff

Sunday, October 14th, 2012, 8:33pm

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Residents of the Sapphire Pointe neighborhood pitched in Sunday to help neighbors whose homes were damaged by the explosion on Friday.

One house was leveled, and three others were heavily damaged by the blast. A natural gas leak is believed to be the cause.

Click here to see photos from the explosion

“It could have happened to our house, it could have happened to our good friends’ houses, so it’s just something that we thought we would be able to do to help them out,” said Beth Lazar.

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Softball-sized eyeball washes ashore Florida beach

Submitted by KDVR Web Staff

Saturday, October 13th, 2012, 6:09pm

(CNN) — When Gino Covacci walks on the beach, he always keeps his eyes peeled for shells, fish and whatever else washes up.

But it’s not every day that he comes across something that seemingly looks right back at him — as happened this week.

Covacci’s discovery: a blue-tinged softball-size eyeball. Even scientists don’t know quite where it came from, beyond the sands of Pompano Beach.

“I find many different things,” he said of his daily walks by the sea, “but not something like this.”

On Wednesday, Covacci said, he was walking along the southeastern Florida beach with a friend visiting from Greece when he spotted something protruding from the sand.

He picked it up, cleaned it off, turned it around and realized he was staring into a giant eyeball.

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Endeavour rolls through L.A. streets on last trip home

Submitted by KDVR Web Staff

Saturday, October 13th, 2012, 2:55pm

Los Angeles (CNN) — Move over, Oscars. Take a seat, Disney. And forget the televised car chase.

The space shuttle Endeavour is conquering a new frontier — the entertainment capital of the world — and it’s getting royal parade treatment.

Like a king carried in a chariot, the Endeavour is lumbering through the streets of Los Angeles on its way to retirement in a local museum.

Earthlings are taking their first close-up view of the shuttle’s heft and girth as it saunters 12 miles over two days at 2 mph (most humans walk 3 mph), with several rests.

That slow movement has allowed a festival of gawkers to line the streets and express awe as the hulking orbiter barely clears utility poles and trees.

Its five-story-high tail passes the corner glass suites of office buildings, and the vehicle has attracted thousands of admirers during stops outside unlikely destinations such as Bed Bath & Beyond.

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Explosion levels Castle Rock house, residents throughout city feel blast

Submitted by KDVR Web Staff

Friday, October 12th, 2012, 7:51am

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A natural gas leak caused an explosion that obliterated a house in Castle Rock Friday morning.

One neighbor thought it was a plane crash. Another said it felt like an earthquake.

The blast was so intense in the Sapphire Pointe neighborhood , it damaged three neighboring houses.

Anthony Riley was parked in the cul de sac at 7:15 a.m. and saw it all happen. “The roof went up about 40 feet and you could see it all mangled together from the impact and then all of a sudden it just sucked it back in and collapsed.”

What’s even more amazing is the woman and her four adopted children were all inside the house when it blew up. They all got out with a few cuts and bruises.

Castle Rock’s fire chief calls it Divine providence that everyone survived, and that no one received any serious injuries.

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