DENVER — An oil and gas company is shutting down more than 3,000 wells in northeastern Colorado as a precaution amid an investigation into a house explosion that killed two people.
Anadarko Petroleum said Wednesday it operated a well about 200 feet (60 meters) from the house in the town of Firestone. The company didn’t say whether the well was believed to be a factor in the explosion or whether it produced oil, gas or both.
Fire officials had no immediate comment.
The April 17 explosion killed Mark Martinez and Joseph William Irwin III. Erin Martinez was badly burned. Mark Martinez was her husband and Irwin was her brother.
The two men were working on a hot-water heater in the basement of the home when the explosion occurred, the Denver Post reported.
Anadarko says the wells it’s shutting down produce the equivalent of 13,000 barrels of oil a day. A barrel is 42 gallons (151 liters).
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in a statement Wednesday said it is assisting the Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District and the Firestone Police Department with an ongoing investigation, the Post reported.
