DENVER — At least 19 gas stations across the Denver metro area received contaminated unleaded fuel from a third-party supplier and it is likely that number of impacted stations will increase, said Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment in a news briefing Friday.
“A delivery from a supplier of regular unleaded fuel to select retailers in the Denver metro was contaminated with diesel fuel. The division became aware of this through consumer complaints,” said Cher Haavind, Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)
As of Friday afternoon, the CDLE has received just over 200 complaints.
Haavind said consumers have reported various engine issues.
“Could be that an engine just completely stopped working or performing or just gradually stalled out.”
Haavind said reports first came into the CDLE on Thursday and an inspector took a sample at a Denver metro gas station and was “able to identify through visual inspection that in fact it was a diesel contamination and that is because of the color of the fuel.”
Castle Pines resident MeiLon Dizmang said her husband filled up at the King Soopers gas station on Lagae Rd. on Thursday morning around 7 AM, only to have his truck stall shortly after.
“He was driving into work down the highway, got about 15 miles away, and that's when it started to slow down. And he was trying to accelerate,” she said, “it just became really sluggish and then completely died.”
A few miles south in Castle Rock, Marie Gorman had a nearly identical experience.
“I got gas about a quarter till 10 in the morning, and filled up my tank. It was about empty, and I drove it about, I would say, about 10 miles to my next appointment,” she recalled, “when I came back from that appointment, I started my car, and it just shook a lot, and then it died.”
Both took their vehicles to dealerships, where they quickly discovered they weren't alone – multiple drivers were dealing with stalled vehicles after filling up at certain gas stations.
While the CDLE at this point believes the fuel contamination is contained to Denver metro gas stations, the Division of Oil and Public Safety alerted 3,000 gas station owners across the state “notifying them that we are aware of the contamination and outlining the steps to date,” added Haavind.
Inspectors have been out collecting further samples to determine the scope of the contamination.
“I think the common question right now is where did all this fuel go – what locations – we’re working with Sinclair, the origin of this fuel, to get that list published,” said Zach Hope, Manager of the Petroleum Storage Tank Program in Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS). “Look forward to more details on that and their investigation into what happened to cause this fuel mix-up at their terminal location.”
If drivers suspect they purchased contaminated fuel they are urged to first reach out to the gas station.
“For consumers, if you purchased regular unleaded gasoline in Colorado after Wednesday afternoon it would be wise to determine where you bought that – especially if you’re having any engine or car-related issues – get in touch with that point-of-sale at the gas station. That gas station will be the place consumers go to seek claims for the damages,” added Hope.
He said that is the established process for consumers to handle a claim around a fuel quality concern.
“I talked to my insurance company today. They will have to go to the dealership and do their own fuel testing. They said that could take up to three weeks for them to get there to do that,” said Gorman.
Denver7 reached out to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association and asked if those affected by the gas mix up should file a claim with their insurance company.
They told us insurance might pay for a tow, but insurance doesn’t cover mechanical issues.
“I just hope that these big companies are, you know, paying attention to us consumers that you know, don't have the funds to pay off our cars or to get these cars fixed,” added Gorman.
While 200 consumer reports have been received, the scope of the contamination is still unclear and Haavind added: “Somewhere between 24 and 36 hours from now we believe all the contamination at the fuel pumps should be remediated.”
Phil Long Ford of Denver told Denver7 that customers are bringing vehicles into its service department with the contaminated fuel. Service director Stephen Martindale warned drivers to avoid using their car if they think they got contaminated fuel and have the vehicle towed to a trusted mechanic.
While King Soopers is the only company so far to return Denver7's request for comment, it is suspected other gas stations were also impacted. The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety verified it started receiving complaints about "bad gas" on Thursday, January 8, from King Soopers, Costco and Murphy Express locations.
The division took a sample from a Costco gas station at River Pointe in Sheridan, which confirmed the contamination there.
"This is an issue for several fuel retailers, so I hope you are reaching out to them as well," King Soopers said in a statement to Denver7. "As soon as we became aware of the issue, we took immediate action by shutting down the impacted fuel lines and dispatching teams to perform thorough diagnostics."
The company said customers who believe they may have been impacted should contact the King Soopers where they filled up for assistance. King Soopers identified the following locations as contaminated:
- 14967 Candelas Pkwy., Arvada
- 25701 E Smoky Hill Rd., Aurora
- 15109 E Colfax Ave., Aurora
- 17000 E Iliff Ave., Aurora
- 3050 S Peoria St., Aurora
- 19001 E Quincy Ave., Aurora
- 1045 S 1St St., Bennett
- 3600 Table Mesa Dr., Boulder
- 1650 30Th St., Boulder
- 12167 Sheridan Blvd., Broomfield
- 2355 W 136Th Ave., Broomfield
- 7284 Lagae Rd., Castle Pines
- 750 N Ridge Rd., Castle Rock
- 5125 W Florida Ave., Denver
- 11747 W Ken Caryl Ave., Littleton
- 9820 W Belleview Ave., Littleton
- 1611 Pace St., Longmont
- 12959 S Parker Rd., Parker
- 17761 Cottonwood Dr., Parker
The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety said preliminary investigation shows regular, unleaded gas contaminated with diesel fuel was distributed to gas stations across the Denver metro area between 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 7, and 6 a.m. on Thursday, January 8.
The division sourced it back to fuel loaded from the HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson, Colorado.
"The Division will continue to work with station owners to test fuel samples and identify impacted retailers. Station owners are working quickly to stop sales of the contaminated gasoline and have it replaced with the right fuel," the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety said in a statement.
The above list of impacted gas stations only includes King Soopers locations and Hope said it was expected that Sinclair would soon release a full list of stations suspected of having contaminated fuel.
“I think the number is greater than 19,” said Hope.
The OPS released the below timeline Friday.
- 9 a.m. Thursday, January 8: OPS began receiving calls from consumers about suspected contaminated fuel.
- 10 a.m. Thursday, January 8: An OPS inspector visited the Costco gas station at River Pointe in Sheridan and saw visual evidence that the regular unleaded gasoline was contaminated with diesel. This batch originated from HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson, Colorado.
- 11 a.m. Thursday, January 8: While OPS continues to get complaints, industry partners confirmed they were aware of the contaminated gas coming from the Sinclair terminal.
- Afternoon, Thursday, January 8: OPS confirms the Sinclair terminal was giving out bad fuel from 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 7th - 6 a.m. Thursday, January 8th.
- Friday, January 9: OPS continues to test fuel and visit stations throughout the state.
Customers who were impacted can submit a complaint to the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety online here or call 303-866-4967 if they want state assistance.
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