Explosion in Heatherwood home

On June 26, 2022, at approximately 6:40 p.m., the Boulder County Communications Center reported receiving a report of a structure fire located in the 7000 block of Durham Circle in Heatherwood. Upon arrival at 7745 Durham Circle, first responders found smoke coming from inside the home.

According to a press release from the Boulder County Sheriff's office, the residents of the home had been able to safely evacuate, however, two pets were still inside. The report stated, "The residents of the property told first responders that there was an explosion in the basement prior to their arrival: After speaking to the residents about the contents of the basement and what activities were taking place, sheriff's deputies caused several neighboring properties to be evacuated.

Upon entering the basement, firefighters found components of what they believed could have been homemade explosive devices. As a result all emergency personnel exited the house for personal safety reasons. Firefighters were able later to enter the home to locate and extinguish the fire, and they located and rescued the two pets.

Residents of the neighboring properties were also allowed to return to their homes.

The report stated that a search warrant was executed at the property and the Boulder County Regional Bomb Squad and the Boulder County Regional Hazmat Team were dispatched to the property and remained on-scene to dispose of any potentially dangerous materials.

The residents of the home have been cooperative with first responders, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's office. Investigators later determined that the man who owns the home was doing some medical experiments and had some items that the fire department thought could have been explosive components. The materials were later determined not to be explosive components. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The following agencies responded to this incident: Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Mountain View Fire, Lafayette Fire Department, Boulder County Bomb Squad, Boulder County Hazmat Authority, Boulder County Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team, Boulder County Public Health, and American Red Cross.The associated Boulder County Sheriff's Office case number is: 22-02997.