Explosions and a major fire in downtown Montrose on Wednesday injured at least four people and caused the police department to evacuate the area.
According to the Montrose Press, a medical supply warehouse near the town’s Main Street blew up around 3 in the afternoon. The cause of the blast is not yet known.
In a press release, Lyndsay Wiley of the Montrose Fire District confirmed four people were taken to the Montrose Regional Health center. One was in critical condition, one was in fair condition, and two were in good condition. They are thought to be employees of the company that owns the warehouse.
Although no other buildings burned, fire crews focused on preventing flames from reaching large oxygen tanks and liquid oxygen in the Hartman Brothers’ backlot. The blaze was contained within about three hours, and crews remained on the scene into the evening addressing hot spots.
In the words of Montrose Fire Protection District Chief Tad Rowan:
“We lost a building, but we saved a block.”
The company that owns the warehouse, Hartman Brothers, now provides supplies for home-based medical care, but first went into operation in 1904 with a bike and novelty shop.
