Explosion Destroys Home In Castle Rock, Family Survives
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4)- An explosion destroyed a home in Castle Rock early Friday morning. Investigators believe it was caused by a natural gas leak.
Neighbors were shaken when they heard the explosion at about 7:18 a.m. The explosion happened at 6942 Sulfur Lane in Castle Rock.
The family of Denver Police Lt. Jimmy Martinez lived in the home that was destroyed. His wife, Lisa, and and their children, Elen, 6, Oz, 4, and Ashbie, 11 were watching television on the second floor when the explosion happened.
"They were all watching television when all of a sudden the house just blew up. They don't know what happened," said Martinez.
They were rushed to Swedish Medical Center where they are all doing well except for being shaken up and suffering a few cuts and bruises.
Martinez was working when the home exploded.
"I actually thought it was a joke at first but that obviously was not the case," said Martinez. "I'm just thankful that we're all alive. I have everyone here today."
The children, the youngest of the family, were adopted from Ethiopia. The girls have been with the family for about six months and the boys have been in the home about a year and a half.
"We were all just in there trying to get the kids out and all the mothers were over at our house washing off the kids, trying to get them warm, wrapping them in blankets. Everyone was trying to pitch in, help out," said neighbor Kyle Albert.
The family has four other children, ages 25, 23, 23 and 18 who no longer live at the home.
Another son, Ryan, 16, would normally have been sleeping in the basement but the family is thankful he was at a friend's house Thursday night and was not home when the explosion happened.
What caused the natural gas leak is being investigated by Black Hills Energy.
There was minor damage to some of the surrounding homes.
A fund has been set up to help the Martinez family at the Rocky Mountain Law Enforcement Credit Union.
