Driver crashes into building off W. 6th Ave. and Interstate 25, closing roads

DENVER — The Denver Fire Department said an explosion and fire at a Shell gas station on Thursday injured two people.Robert Murphy, the operations division chief for Denver Fire, provided an update, saying the two injured parties did not appear to have severe injuries as they were walking before they were transported to Denver Health.The explosion and fire occurred just before noon at the intersection of W. 5th Avenue and Bryant Street, only one block south of the 6th Avenue freeway.Smoke was visible from at least 6th Avenue and Knox Street and drew a significant emergency response.Murphy said investigators are checking with Xcel Energy to determine if a natural gas issue caused the explosion, but the exact cause is still unknown.Officials are also investigating a vehicle fire behind the Shell station, reported shortly before the explosion, as a possible cause of the blast.Initially, Denver police said the explosion was caused by a car crashing into the Shell station. However, Murphy clarified that there was no crash into the structure.Crews controlled the fire quickly, but Murphy said firefighters will remain on scene for some time.“We will be here for a while because this building is structurally compromised. It will likely collapse on itself. We’re not allowing firefighters to go inside,” he said during a press briefing.Murphy said the fire and damage were contained just to the Shell station.