Explosion flattens Colo. restaurant; 6 injured

PUEBLO, Colo. -- An explosion flattened a restaurant and damaged an adjacent building Thursday, sparking a stubborn fire and sending at least six people to hospitals as crews prepared to search for anyone trapped in the rubble.

It took firefighters more than an hour to extricate one of the injured, said fire department spokesman Woody Percival.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated. A fire still burned at the site more than two hours later, Percival said.

Percival did not know whether the restaurant was open at the time or how many people were inside.

"It's flat to the ground," said Rick Beatty, a delivery driver for the nearby Flower and Herb Co.

Flower company owner Mardi Clay said the explosion was so loud she thought a car had smashed into her shop. "It rattled the whole block" and sent smoke billowing, she said.

Pueblo, a city of about 106,000, is 100 miles south of Denver.