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2 dogs rescued, no injuries reported after apparent house explosion in Northern Colorado town of Wellington

Updated on: November 15, 2023 / 5:58 PM MST / CBS Colorado

Evacuations lifted in Northern Colorado town of Wellington after apparent home explosion

It was reported by the Wellington Fire Protection District that no injuries were reported after two dogs were rescued in the Northern Colorado town of Wellington after an apparent home explosion in the 7500 block of Little Fox Lane.

Grace Klibbe captured a photo of a partially collapsed home in Wellington. Grace Klibbe

Wellington Fire Protection District issued an update on the incident Wednesday evening saying that the department was dispatched to the home and found a two-story home with "obvious damage." There was also a small fire reportedly in the basement and in the attic.

Video at the scene showed a home appearing to be partially collapsed.

A window appeared to have glass blown out at the site of an apparent home explosion in Wellington. CBS

Some of the windows in the home were missing and the garage door was damaged.

Wellington Fire Protection District quickly extinguished the fires with "approximately 70% of the structure damaged in the explosion," according to the department.

The fire department also revealed that witnesses and firefighters rescued two dogs as they were taken to area veterinary hospitals.

Larimer County emergency officials sent out an "EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY" alert just after 3 p.m. Roads were closed around the residence and the evacuation area included:

Firefighters were at the scene of a home in Wellington on Wednesday afternoon. CBS

- Jockey Drive south to the 7400 block of Little Fox Lane
- From Little Fox Lane to Back Stretch Drive

All evacuations for the area was lifted around 4:00 p.m. and it was reported that no witnesses or firefighters were injured in the incident.

Stephanie Woodard captured photos of smoke coming from a home in Wellington. Stephanie Woodard

The investigation remains ongoing and the fire department thanked everyone who assisted in the incident Wednesday afternoon.

Wellington is located to the northeast of Fort Collins and about 25 miles south of the Colorado-Wyoming border. The home is located in the part of town that is on the east side of Interstate 25.

The neighborhood that was evacuated in Wellington after an apparent home explosion. CBS

According to a friend of the family, a couple had moved into the home less than a month ago with their 4-month-old baby and two dogs. The family has renters insurance but according to a crowdfunding campaign, the family lost everything and the dogs suffered burns in the explosion.

A crowdfunding campaign for the family renting a home that exploded in Wellington. GoFundMe

Jesse Sarles

Jesse Sarles manages the web content and website operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.