Owners Worried About Closure

By Tak Landrockt.landrock@krdo.com

PUEBLO – For the first time since Thursday’s explosion, Rich Lane, owner of Seabel’s, got a chance to see the damage to the outside of business.

“What we don’t know is the damage to the inside yet,” says Lane. Investigators gave him a chance Friday afternoon to board up some windows. “We had a lot of windows blown out on the side of the building, as well as the door.”

He hopes boarding up the open windows will keep any more damage from happening to the inside of the business. “We’ve heard talk of asbestos and obviously smoke,” he says, which worries him a lot.

Lane tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 he and his staff were only allowed to go into the building late Thursday night to get purses and the cash drawer from the register.

“The other concern we have, with any retail business, is you do 30% to 40% of your business from November 1st to Christmas, and here we are shut down and we don’t know when we’re going to be able to open back up.”

Right now, Pueblo Police guard the surrounding area, preserving the scene until investigators can determine what happened.

“Pueblo is a strong community and I know the community will support all of the businesses,” says Lane.