COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — State regulators are investigating after drivers said a gas station’s fuel supply ruined their cars.
Pumps were turned off on Monday at a Valero in Commerce City at East 72nd Avenue and Quebec Street.
It is unclear how many vehicles have been damaged or destroyed. State inspectors suspect diesel may have been delivered to the regular unleaded gasoline storage tank at the gas station.
“I left here and didn’t even get to 56th and Quebec, and my car just started slowing down and it stopped,” Lucinda Wedgeworth said.
Other customers had similar experiences.
“[The car] started puttering about six blocks down [from the gas station,” Jessica Meyers said.
At one point on Monday, more than a dozen drivers found their way back to the gas station after their cars broke down moments after fueling up.
“I’m very frustrated,” Wedgeworth said. “We’re all just waiting to get answers.”
A state inspector with Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Oil and Public Safety has fuel samples for analysis at a state lab, according to a department spokeswoman.
The state told the FOX31 Problem Solvers paperwork at the gas station shows diesel was delivered overnight to the location at 7191 Quebec St. Diesel isn’t an option for sale at the location. All of the pumps are affected, officials said.
Viewer video shows customers confronting the clerk on Monday as they tried to figure out who will pay for thousands and thousands of dollars in damages and lost wages.
In the video, the clerk can be heard saying that Valero “will take care of” all of their expenses.
“The problem is that I talked to you this morning. You guys didn’t shut the pumps down until 12:48,” Meyers could be heard telling the clerk.
“Yeah, I know, but we [didn’t] know … they put diesel in both,” the clerk responded.
The state said it should be able to confirm by Tuesday exactly what was being stored and pumped at the location.
The gas station is not owned by Valero. The owner told FOX31 they had no idea about the fuel mixup and said they are victims in the situation as well because they can’t sell gas during the investigation.
FOX31 reached out to Valero and a distribution company. Responses were not provided by either organization prior to this report’s deadline.