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Thornton Hosts Community Meeting About Home Explosion

THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4)- The City of Thornton is preparing to release new details about the home explosion that happened last month.

The city is hosting a community meeting at 7 p.m. at Stargate Charter School where city leaders will answer questions about what happened.

Many neighbors are planning to attend because they are concerned about exposure to certain chemicals like asbestos.

thornton
(credit: CBS)

"It's the little kids that live in the neighborhood. Anything that has to do with asbestos and cancers won't come about until 20 or 15 years later," said neighbor Clyde Hicks.

After the June 19 explosion, debris clung to surrounding trees and rooftops and was scattered across two square blocks.

Gary Lee Pine, 59, was found dead in the wreckage of the home after the blast.

Investigators said they were looking into whether natural gas caused the blast.

Homeowners said they were instructed by police to hose down their property after that explosion.

Thornton House Explosion
(credit: CBS)

"They came around and said we needed to hose down our roofs and clean down the sidewalks and everything," said neighbor Debbi Ott.

"I want to hear about what they have to say about it and what they don't say about it," said Hicks. "It's still unresolved as to why it happened."

Multiple sources have told CBS4 that part of the investigation includes if the explosion was a possible suicide attempt by Pine. He was the only person inside the home at the time of the blast.

Xcel Energy said the gas line systems in the neighborhood are safe and that the explosion took place beyond the meter inside the home, caused by something inside the home.

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