DENVER (AP) — A shareholder lawsuit alleges an oil and gas company was focused on keeping old wells running, not fixing potential safety problems in the months before a fatal house explosion in Colorado.

The lawsuit cites former Anadarko Petroleum employees as saying the company had slashed its safety budget and had only a skeleton crew for refurbishing wells.

The claims are in court documents filed last year. They were first reported Tuesday by the Colorado Independent.

Company spokeswoman Jennifer Brice said Anadarko doesn't comment on pending lawsuits.

The lawsuit says Anadarko's actions caused stock prices to fall, hurting investors. The lead plaintiff is a union pension fund.

The federal lawsuit was filed in Texas, where Anadarko is based.

Two people died in the 2017 explosion. Investigators blamed gas from a severed pipeline connected to an Anadarko well.