It happened at a multi-plex at Santa Fe Drive and 4th Avenue - the Baker neighborhood - around 1 p.m., according to Greg Pixley with DFD. KUSA — One person is in critical condition and eight other people are injured after a natural gas explosion that a spokesperson for the Denver Fire Department called the biggest one the city has seen in 22 years. It happened at a multi-plex at Santa Fe Drive and 4th Avenue - the Baker neighborhood - around 1 p.m., according to Greg Pixley with DFD. Fire officials said in a later news conference that the exact address of the home was determined to be 368 N. Santa Fe Drive. On Wednesday, a dog was seen going through debris in hopes to pinpoint exact location of the ignition. One person was initially trapped in the rubble from the explosion and subsequent collapse, Pixley said, but that person was rescued by firefighters and is stable. Another person trapped in the structure is in critical condition. The other seven injuries range from burns to blunt force trauma. Those people were bystanders who were treated at the scene and released. Business owner David Bacon said he was driving down nearby 6th Avenue when he heard a huge bang. "My car totally shook," he said. "I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a plume of smoke." Bacon said he immediately went to the scene to see if anyone needed help. "There were people...kind of ... scattered around. Everyone was clearly frightened," he said. "There was a couple that was covered in ash that looked disoriented but were OK ... that looked like they had literally crawled out of the rubble." Neighbor Edward Scott lives a few houses down and was talking on the phone when the explosion happened. He told 9NEWS' Noel Brennan he thought it was his house that exploded. "I thought it was my house - debris hit me in the face - my ear was ringing," Scott said. "I went into my house to see what kind of damage and I realized it wasn't my house." Scott said he then went outside and asked a woman nearby what the explosion was. He said she pointed at a plume of smoke a few houses down. "A gentleman just got out of the car, there was another gentleman trying to get out of the place," he said. "A lady was crawling out -- a man picked her up like a fireman, put her on the porch next to us. She told us she was OK." He said all that happened before the Fire Department arrived. There is moderate damage to buildings across the street and to cars adjacent to the building. Pixley said during an afternoon news briefing that he could still smell lingering pockets of natural gas more than an hour after the initial explosion was reported. It's still unclear how this happened or what caused the explosion as this is still in the investigation phase, Pixley said. He said the gas was shut off in the area so his staff and others can work safely without worrying about another potential problem. Also assisting on this situation are: patrol officers from DPD, the Police Department's Crime Unit, Denver Health, Denver Public Works, The American Red Cross, Community Planning and Development, the Colorado Task Force and South Metro Fire. The agencies, Pixley said, are working together to make sure no one was missed in the rubble pile. As of 7:45 p.m., he said investigators didn't find anyone and were slowing down investigative efforts for the night with the intention of ramping them back up Wednesday morning. Pixley added during a 4:45 p.m. news conference that the explosion might be a crime and that his office is working to rule that out. Firefighters and police officers are working to get surveillance video from nearby buildings as part of their investigation. There was another explosion in 1996 a block away from Tuesday's which Pixley mentioned during the news conference. Another one in 2004 in the 700 block of Kalamath injured nine people. He said he thinks the past explosions are irrelevant to this explosion. Santa Fe was closed for hours but is open for the morning commute. There could still be delays though as drivers slow down to get a glimpse of the damage. The 9NEWS Traffic Map has the latest information about closures and alternate routes: https://www.9news.com/traffic Xcel Energy Colorado, the metro area's largest utility company, has crews on-site and is helping with the investigation. Xcel Energy spokesperson Michelle Aguayo said in these situations, the company shuts off the gas in the immediate building and any others in the area that might be in danger. They do the same for overhead power lines and try to "redirect the power so folks don’t lose electricity," Aguayo said. Anyone with a gas emergency is urged to call Xcel at 1-800-895-2999.<doc-sep>DENVER (CBS4)– Nine people were injured, one critically, on Tuesday afternoon when a large explosion rocked a Denver neighborhood. The blast, which is believed to have been caused by natural gas, heavily damaged a four-plex residential building located on Santa Fe Drive between 3rd and 4th Avenue. It also damaged cars on the street and caused damage to a building across the street. “As you can see, the devastation behind us is pretty significant,” said Denver Fire Capt. Greg Pixley. One person was trapped and had to be rescued by emergency crews and two of those who were injured were rushed to the hospital. One of those patients suffered traumatic, severe injuries. Denver Fire spent Tuesday night on scene combing the rubble with cadaver dogs. While there is no indication someone is missing, responders want to make absolutely sure. One man found himself in the middle of the chaos. Alex Ponton was driving past the row of homes on 368 North Santa Fe when the explosion occurred. “It threw it (the car). Like it was like ‘boom’ and it flew and then all the rubble started pushing into me…” Ponton said. “Next thing I know I’m stumbling out of my car. I can’t see anything there’s dust there’s people screaming.” Instead of running away, the young man ran toward the screams. “I heard somebody screaming, just followed the voices, tore some stuff apart and there they were,” he said. “We don’t know if all the victims were inside or outside. We know there were people inside,” said Pixley. Update on injuries from @DHEMSED at Natural Gas Explosion at 4th & Santa Fe. Seven minor injuries, and @DenverHealthMed transported one stable and critical patient. Investigation into the cause is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/BTBRApqLur — Denver Fire Dept. (@Denver_Fire) August 14, 2018 Gabriel Cruz works with Ponton at the nearby auto dealer, Rickenbaugh. He was also driving nearby when the explosion occurred. “I thought something literally just rear-ended me it was that powerful,” said Cruz. Cruz pulled over to see what was going on, that’s when he saw Alex and other co-workers run toward the rubble. “I just remember seeing three coworkers just run toward that way and I was calling their names like ‘Don’t go that way! Don’t go that way.’” Cruz said he barely had time to think, and he’s proud his coworkers were there to help. “Until we can remove some of the debris, we’ll have greater clues about the cause. Natural gas lines come from either the street or the alley,” said Pixley. Pixley also confirmed that fire crews also extinguished a fire when they arrived on scene. Copter4 flew over the scene where the entire middle section of the building had been blown apart with pieces of lumber and bricks scattered into the street. A vehicle was in the middle of Santa Fe Drive, covered in dust. Witnesses say two explosions with shockwaves happened just after 1 p.m. It is unclear just how many explosions there were. Check out this rough video of DFD members returning kitten to its owner after devastating explosion, building collapse and fire at 368 Santa Fe Dr. earlier this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/l7yvyK2Nlj — Denver Fire Dept. (@Denver_Fire) August 15, 2018 Some residents were worried about their missing cat named Lilith. After some time, the owners and Lilith were successfully reunited. “Anytime we have an explosion like this, the dangers are significant. We have explosive dangers due to the natural gas that is lingering within the buildings,” said Pixley. “We also have a collapse potential due to the devastation and the damage that was created by the explosion itself.” Xcel Energy crews were on scene to help with the investigation and to shut off the gas in the neighborhood. “We’re working with Xcel Energy. They are assisting us not only to eliminate the natural gas potential but also the electric potential that runs through the alleys,” said Pixley. CBS4’s Alan Gionet was at the scene shortly after it happened. He interviewed a witness who described the blast that was felt blocks away at Rickenbaugh Collision. “It shook the walls over there and everything. It was bad,” said witness Brandon Stoddard. Santa Fe was closed from Ellsworth to 5th due to the damage and investigation. Northbound traffic was reopened just before 8:30 p.m. Fire officials say the investigation will continue Wednesday morning. UPDATE: Santa Fe is now closed from Ellsworth Ave to 5th Ave. Side streets may also be effected in the immediate area. Please avoid the area and find alternate routes. #Denver — Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 14, 2018 MORE NEWS: Construction Continues On Lao Buddhist Temple Almost 10 Years After Fire There was a natural gas explosion just one block on Nov. 22, 1996 that leveled a building at 5th and Santa Fe Drive. Five people were injured in that explosion with three hospitalized.<doc-sep>DENVER — Nine people were injured, one critically, by an apparent natural gas explosion in Denver on Tuesday, firefighters said. Capt. Greg Pixley, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department, said seven bystanders were treated for minor injuries and released after a portion of a brick rowhouse was leveled in the blast just south of downtown. A man was critically injured, and a woman who was pulled from the debris is in stable condition. Pixley said some of the injured were burned, and the fire department is working with Xcel Energy to determine what happened. Pieces of wood were thrown like sticks, and bricks were spilled on the ground in front of the one-story building, which was being searched by a cadaver dog. “Our goal is not to find a victim but to rule out that a victim is there,” Pixley said. Alexander Ponton, whose car was hit by the blast, said he and a few other people helped pull a couple from the debris. “As I got in front of that building, it blew up right next to my car,” he said. “Threw my car over a foot and a half to 2 feet. … After it blew up, all you could smell was gas. That’s all you could smell.” Alex McMahill, who was working at a nearby auto repair shop, said he heard the explosion and thought a vehicle had fallen from its lift. “I just started running,” said McMahill, who also helped pull people from the debris. “I’m thankful for my friends, my family, and I hope that everybody could be safe because it’s a crazy life,” he said.<doc-sep>
DENVER (Reuters) - Nine people were injured, one critically, on Tuesday when a natural gas explosion leveled a Denver apartment house, a fire department spokesman said. People watch as emergency personnel work at a site where a natural gas explosion leveled an apartment building in Denver, Colorado, August 14, 2018, in this picture obtained from social media. Chelsea Sheehan/via REUTERS First responders rescued two victims trapped inside the building, described as a “fourplex,” in Denver’s historic Baker neighborhood, said Denver Fire Captain Greg Pixley. No one else was believed trapped in the rubble, alive or dead, Pixley said, but firefighters were conducting a thorough search to make sure. “What we are using now is the cadaver dog ... to help us assure that we haven’t missed anything,” he said. “Our goal is not to find a victim, but to rule out that a victim is not there.” Pixley said that arson investigators and a crime scene unit was on the scene as part of the investigation and that crews for Xcel Energy Inc XEL.O, the Denver utility that supplied the building, had shut off all gas lines into the area. Xcel Energy spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo said by phone the utility was working with the fire department to determine the cause of the blast. Two people hurt in the explosion were transported to Denver Health Medical Center, said hospital spokesman Simon Crittle. One had severe traumatic injuries while the other’s injuries were not as severe, he said. Seven other people who suffered minor injuries were treated at the scene, the Denver Fire Department said on Twitter. A man who lives in the area told Denver television station FOX31 he smelled gas as he was walking to the store, before an explosion sent bricks flying into the street. The fire department posted pictures of the apartment building on Twitter showing its roof collapsed in the explosion, which propelled wooden beams and other rubble cascading across the sidewalk.