ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. --
An explosion leveled an Adams County home, critically injuring the homeowner and rattling houses blocks away, Wednesday morning, witnesses said.
The explosion just after 9 a.m. reduced the home to rubble and blew out windows in neighboring houses, neighbors said.
"It looks like a bomb hit," 7NEWS photographer Mike LeClaire reported.
Responding firefighters rescued the homeowner, a 52-year-old man, from the wreckage of the home at 7724 Sherman St., said Sandy Danne, spokeswoman for North Washington Fire District.
The man was in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center Wednesday evening, a hospital spokesman said.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, Danne said.
Arriving firefighters found a natural gas leak, she said. But, at this point, it's unclear whether leaking gas triggered the blast or another type of explosion caused the gas leak.
The blast, just west of Interstate 25, sent up a large plume cloud and debris rained down from the sky, said witness Devin Markiis.
Markiis said the force of the explosion caused windows in his neighborhood to bow in and knocked china off his shelves.
"I live off of 77th and Washington and the explosion was so strong it shook my house and knocked things off of shelves. My wife thought it was an earthquake," said neighbor Jacob Jones.
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