ESTES PARK, Colo. — An explosion and fire at Elkins Distillery in Estes Park Saturday sent two employees to the hospital.
Crews with the Estes Valley Fire Protection District responded to the distillery, located at 1825 North Lake Ave., around 9 a.m.
When crews arrived on-scene, smoke was seen coming from the structure.
Two employees were inside at the time of the explosion. A neighbor told Denver7 the employees were talking and responsive before medics arrived.
Mike Richardson, public information officer with Estes Valley Fire Protection District, says both of the employees were eventually taken to the Western States Burn Center at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. That's about an hour and a half east of Estes Park.
Richardson said the explosion happened in the back half of the building, causing the ceiling to collapse and the walls of the metal building to blow out. The fire was put out fairly quickly.
"It is a distillery, so there's quite a few things going on back there that probably could have caused an explosion," Richardson said.
Investigators are currently looking into the cause of the explosion.
