Crews respond to home explosion in El Paso County

Authorities said an unknown spark ignited a propane leak that caused a house explosion Thursday.

The explosion happened around 9 a.m. on Palomino Drive, just off U.S. 24 between Calhan and Peyton.

Authorities said the house was under construction, caught fire and sustained heavy damage.

Two workers were inside the garage at the time of the explosion and received minor injuries.

“The concussion from the explosion knocked them across the garage and knocked them out,” said Chief Shane Gattis, of the Calhan Fire Department. “They’ll say in the hospital for a while. Luckily, they weren’t inside the home and closer to the explosion.”

Authorities said the explosion happened after workers turned on a propane tank used the heat the home’s interior.

“The house is about to collapse at any moment,” Gattis said. “It was about three weeks away from being finished.”

Gattis said the explosion and fire were an accident, and his department has asked the Colorado Springs Fire Department to assist them in the investigation.

“The explosion was heard five miles away in Calhan,” he said.