Colorado mountain town mystery surrounds arson and death investigation near trailhead

Summit County deputies responded around 7 a.m. on March 6 to reports of an explosion and a vehicle fire at the Straight Creek Trailhead near the Dillon Valley neighborhood. When first responders arrived, they found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames with a man inside. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. (Summit County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource)

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado -- Investigators are trying to determine what caused a deadly vehicle explosion at a popular hiking trailhead in Colorado.

Summit County deputies responded around 7 a.m. Friday to reports of an explosion and a vehicle fire at the Straight Creek Trailhead near the Dillon Valley neighborhood. When first responders arrived, they found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames with a man inside. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is working with several agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and local fire departments to determine what happened.

Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said bringing in specialists is standard in cases like this.

“Anytime there is an explosion and a tragic death, there will be a significant investigation,” FitzSimons said in a statement. “We have brought together a team of experts to determine exactly what happened.”

Investigators said the incident appears to be isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public outside the immediate scene.

Multiple neighbors called 9-1-1 after hearing the explosion. “I totally thought it was an avy bomb,” Jess Koepl, who lives nearby, explained. “It had just snowed, and Loveland Pass is pretty close.”

Koepl was walking his dog when he heard a boom and saw the smoke. As he got closer to the trailhead, Koepl said he saw the vehicle burning and heard additional pops. Koepl said he did not have his phone with him at the time, so he turned around to get help. By the time he was heading back, emergency crews were already arriving.

“I guess I’m a little freaked out by it,” Koepl said. “I really have no idea what happened, so I’m just kind of waiting for something to come out.”

Investigators spent hours examining the scene and removing debris scattered around the parking area.

The identity of the man who died has not yet been released. The Summit County Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause and manner of death.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the sheriff’s office.