By Tillie Fong and Bill Scanlon
The Rocky Mountain News
GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — One person died apparently after being thrown by an explosion Wednesday night in Grand County that destroyed four mobile homes.
The fire quickly spread to three nearby mobile homes.
The victim, who was not identified, was not found until 1:28 p.m. Thursday.
According to Grand County coroner Brenda Bock, the victim was blown 120 feet by the blast, landing behind an unoccupied residence, out of sight of firefighters and investigators.
Thursday, investigators from the coroner's office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Grand County Sheriff's office searched through the ruins of the four destroyed homes for victims and evidence.
The cause of the blaze has not been determined.
Wednesday, firefighters from three agencies extinguished the fire six miles north of Granby on U.S. 34 in the Lake Granby area, Grand County Undersheriff Walt Eldridge said. The call came at 8:03 p.m.
"I live three miles from there and I heard the bang," Grand County Sheriff's Lt. Jim Campbell said. "I turned around and saw the mushroom cloud."
Besides the darkness, there was a mix of rain and snow, so investigators weren't able to determine if anyone might have been in the homes at the time of the explosion, Campbell said.
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