Northeast JoCo residents share JJ’s explosion experiences

Police and fire crews Wednesday morning were sorting through the wreckage left by an explosion and fire at JJ’s Restaurant on the Plaza.

The immense explosion and fire that rocked the area west of the Plaza Tuesday night and destroyed JJ’s Restaurant brought first-hand accounts from a few of our readers.

Joni Cobb said she was two blocks away from the site when she heard and felt the blast and saw the intense black smoke rising from the scene. She said that she had just driven past 15 minutes earlier with her daughter and was feeling fortunate to have missed the explosion.

Lori Bruce reported that she drove by about 5 p.m. and could smell gas. “There was a fire truck behind me at the stop light where JJ’s is. The smell was really strong. I’m glad I left work on time today and didn’t leave late like normal.”

Anne Pritchett commented that she could see the smoke driving on Rainbow directly to the west.

The explosion and four-alarm fire is being attributed to a natural gas leak potentially related to construction work. One person is still unaccounted for this morning and approximately 17 were taken to area hospitals.

If you were in the area, share your story in the comments section or send us an email at stories [at] pvpost.com.