Residents near the New Mexico-Colorado border were jolted by a pipeline explosion on Oct. 6 that shook the ground, knocked out electricity and sent a towering column of flames into the sky, the Durango Herald reports. The explosion was reported at about 2 p.m. in the La Boca area of San Juan County.
Dave Valdez was inside his garage near La Boca when he heard it. It sounded "like somebody just turned on an F-16 right next to me," he told the Herald, adding that he felt the ground shake right before his electricity went off. Valdez estimated the flames reached 150 feet or more, while the Herald reported flames of about 100 feet. He said the roar and flames continued for about 45 minutes, and a lower flame remained visible for roughly two hours.
The pipeline fire ignited surrounding vegetation, turning the incident into a wildland fire. San Juan County spokesman Devin Neeley said the pipeline fire had been shut in and the surrounding wildland fire was smoldering. Harvest Midstream Co. spokesman Jerrod T. Jones said crews stopped the flow of gas to the affected portion of the system, no injuries were reported and all crew members were accounted for.
Marzine Smith, who saw the fire in her rearview mirror while driving north toward Ignacio, said that if workers had been anywhere near the well pad, there would have been injuries or worse. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
What's Next
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from the Durango Herald’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit the Durango Herald’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
