FORT LUPTON, Colo. (AP/CBS4) — Authorities say one person is dead and three others have minor injuries after a rupture at a natural gas well north of Fort Lupton.

Weld County sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Schwartz says pressure apparently caused one or more pieces of equipment to break loose at about 1 p.m. Wednesday. Schwartz says there was no fire.

Encana Corp., which operates the well, characterizes the incident as a high-pressure gas release. The company says the cause hasn’t been determined.

Encana says the three injured workers were taken to a Greeley hospital.

“It’s very difficult. This is a tight-knit, very close group. When you lose one of your teammates it hits very close to home. It is a reminder of the work that we do every day. And it’s also a reminder of how close we are,” said Encana Oil & Gas spokeswoman Wendy Wiedenbeck.

(credit: CBS)

No names have been released. Schwartz says the person who died was a 60-year-old man.

Fort Lupton is about 25 miles north of downtown Denver.

Investigators from OSHA were on the scene after the incident.

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