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Eagle County Coroner identifies Gypsum home explosion victim

Scott Miller
Vail Daily
The site of an explosion in the Chatfield Corners neighborhood in Gypsum on Saturday. The blast occured on Thursday and killed one person.
John LaConte | jlaconte@vaildaily.com

Patricia Ruiz Roe, 49, has been identified as the victim of a Sept. 17 home explosion in Gypsum. Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis on Monday confirmed Rowe’s identity.

The explosion destroyed a home on Cottonwood Pass Road, and is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. The incident remains under investigation. The explosion prompted an evacuation of the Chatfield Corners neighborhood on the south end of town. Electric and gas service to the neighborhood were immediately shut down. Residents were allowed to return home Sept. 19 and utility service was restored house by house.

In the wake of the incident, the towns of Gypsum and Eagle halted underground boring work that’s part of Comcast’s installation of fiber optic lines in the towns. The boring work is believed to have caused the gas leak.



The investigation into the incident is being conducted by local, state and federal agencies including the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Public Utilities Commission, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention.

Agencies responding to the incident included Eagle County Sheriff’s Office; Gypsum Fire Protection District; Town of Gypsum; Eagle River Fire Protection District; Greater Eagle Fire Protection District; Eagle County Paramedic Services; Avon Police Department; Vail Police Department; Eagle Police Department; Vail Mountain Search and Rescue; Colorado State Patrol; Colorado Department of Transportation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control; Eagle County Government; American Red Cross; Salvation Army; Vail Public Safety Communications Center; Citadel Security; and Eagle County Schools.


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