Branch Inn Investigation Latest

PUEBLO – Federal explosion experts from across the country have arrived in Pueblo and have come up with a game plan for determining a cause for the deadly blast at the Branch Inn on Thursday. The crew will break up into teams and begin their investigation on Sunday morning. These are 20 of the best explosion investigators in the nation some of which worked on the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

One thing concerning emergency leaders is the number of people breaking through the fenced off area and getting too close to the blast site. Police are issuing tickets to “several” people caught breaking through the fence for a closer vantage point.

A few hundred yards from that fence line at Victoria and C Street a makeshift memorial has been set up to honor 22-year old Ashley Johnson. She worked at the boutique destroyed by the explosion. Saturday night about one dozen candles burned to remember the Centennial High graduate. Family and friends also set up an oversized card and several pictures of the young girl.

Also on Saturday state lawmakers took a tour of the Branch Inn. They say they’ll look into the economic impact of the explosion and see if emergency money will be available to help with recovery in the area.