GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- An 8-ton boulder crashed through the wall of a house early Tuesday, crushing floors, a stairway and a recliner but sparing two residents from injury.

"It sounded like an explosion," homeowner Ron Dickman said. "Stuff was flying everywhere."

Dickman and a tenant, Jimmy Farris, were awakened by the crash about 1:30 a.m. The rock came to rest in the middle of the living room, leaving dust and rock chips across the carpet.

A second, smaller boulder crashed through a wall and into Dickman's home office.

The boulders were among a torrent of rocks that broke loose from an outcrop 1,000 feet above the house and cascaded into the neighborhood. A wall built to deflect rock slides kept other homes from being hit.

One boulder landed in an empty lot, gouging a crater before breaking up.

"It's just like a meteor hit there," Farris said.

Dickman had no estimate of the damage to his home but said an engineer said it would cost up to $1,800 just to remove the 16,000-pound boulder.

He said his homeowner's insurance policy won't cover any of the damage.

City building inspectors determined the house was not safe to live in.

Dickman, a self-employed accountant and bookkeeper, said the damage to his house is because recent application to subdivide his lot and erect a rockfall mitigation structure above the two lots was declined by the Glenwood Springs City Council in February.

Glenwood Springs community development director Andrew McGregor said he’s not sure whether the wall would have been installed by now if Dickman had received his necessary approvals two months ago. He also said the boulder was so large, it's doubtful the fence would have stopped it.

“My neighbors have been great, coming over to offer help and everything,” Dickman told the Glenwood Post Independent. People have offered him food, tools, and free labor. “It renews my faith in humanity,” he said.