HOUSE EXPLOSION

Explosion investigation could drag on

Officials said months could pass before ignition source is known.

By Chris Mueller , June 06, 2012

Investigators seek ignition source in house explosion, now deemed 'suspicious'

While investigators are “quite certain” the blast was caused by natural gas, they have yet to determine the explosion’s ignition source inside the house.

By Chris Mueller , June 04, 2012

Opinion: Explosions may be more preventable than we think

Shouldn’t we be doing more to prevent house explosions?
In just the past three years, there have been four house explosions in our little part of South Dakota. One caused a death, two left their single occupants badly injured, and one occurred when nobody was home. Three were caused by natural gas leaks, and one was caused by a propane leak.

By Seth Tupper , November 26, 2010

Gas usage spiked in houses before recent explosions but measuring is difficult, expensive

It’s difficult to know if the kind of house explosions that killed a Menno woman and severely injured a Mitchell man this summer could have been prevented. But there were hints that such horrific incidents were about to happen. Shortly after the explosions, NorthWestern Energy released information showing gas usage in each home spiked between the last reading and explosions.

By Austin Kaus , September 25, 2010

Man still in critical condition following Mitchell explosion

A man who suffered secondand third-degree burns in an August house explosion in Mitchell remains in critical condition, according to a hospital official.
A representative from Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., confirmed Tuesday that Jose Aguirre, 38, is still in critical condition at the hospital’s burn center.

By Austin Kaus , September 08, 2010

Survivor of '07 explosion talks about recovery facing Mitchell man

Watching him step down from the cab of his John Deere tractor, there isn’t much that physically distinguishes Darrick Van Dyke from the average farmer in Jerauld County. But under the jeans and long-sleeve shirt, there are scars from the night almost three years ago that left Van Dyke standing dazed with severe burns on Dakota Avenue in Wessington Springs after his house exploded.

By Austin Kaus , August 28, 2010

Gas usage spiked prior to house explosions

The gas usage of two area houses involved in recent natural gas explosions jumped between the last reading and the time of the explosions, according to a representative from NorthWestern Energy.
Tom Glanzer, NorthWestern Energy spokesman, said he could not release exact figures because of the company’s policy regarding customer information, but he said Wednesday that usage definitely increased in the time leading up to house explosions in Mitchell and Menno.

By Austin Kaus , August 26, 2010

Take smell of gas seriously, warns NorthWestern Energy spokesman

If you detect a gas leak in your home, there’s a basic piece of advice that may save your life: Get out.
That’s what NorthWestern Energy spokesman Tom Glanzer said Tuesday in the wake of the second natural gas-related house explosion in the area in six days. A Menno woman, Gail Guthmiller, was killed in a blast Monday night.
On Aug. 17, Jose Aguirre of Mitchell was critically injured in an explosion at his home. Aguirre remains in a Minnesota burn center. (See related story, Page 12.)

By Tom Lawrence , August 25, 2010

Fatal blast rocks town of Menno

Gerald Schaeffer was sitting by his window, watching TV news Monday night when he heard the sound of glass breaking.
“The window came in on me,” Schaeffer said. “I turned around and the dark just turned orange and then yellow from the flames.”
The flames came from the adjacent home of Gail Guthmiller, a 56-year-old Menno resident who was thrown from her house and killed when it exploded at approximately 10:30 p.m.

By Austin Kaus , August 25, 2010

Menno rocked by fatal explosion

Gerald Schaeffer was sitting by his window, watching TV news Monday night when he heard the sound of glass breaking.
“The window came in on me,” Schaeffer said. “I turned around and the dark just turned orange and then yellow from the flames.”
The flames came from the adjacent home of Gail Guthmiller, a 56-year-old Menno resident who was thrown from her house and killed when it exploded at approximately 10:30 p.m.

By Austin Kaus , August 24, 2010

House explosion victim in critical condition

A Mitchell man is in critical condition at a Twin Cities hospital after suffering serious injuries when the house he was renting exploded Tuesday afternoon.
Jose Aguirre, 38, is at Regions Hospital Burn Center in St. Paul, Minn., a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Aguirre was flown there for treatment of second- and third-degree burns and a partially collapsed lung after he exited his collapsed home at 718 E. Hanson Ave. in Mitchell. The explosion occurred at 4:17 p.m.

By Melanie Brandert , August 19, 2010

House explodes in Mitchell

Shelli Porras wiped the tears from her face Tuesday as she stared at the ruins of an exploded house that she said was home to her relative and friend, Jose Aguirre.
“I just feel so bad for him,” Porras said of Aguirre, who at that moment was being flown to Minneapolis for treatment of second- and third-degree burns and a partially collapsed lung.
Authorities received a call about an exploded house in the 700 block of East Hanson Avenue, a few blocks west of Hitchcock Park, at 4:17 p.m. Tuesday. They arrived to find Aguirre’s home at 718 E. Hanson destroyed without a hint of fire or smoke. The house was not completely flattened, but a majority of it had collapsed in on itself.

By Austin Kaus , August 18, 2010

House explodes in Mitchell, man seriously injured

Shelli Porras wiped the tears from her face Tuesday as she stared at the ruins of an exploded house that she said was home to her relative and friend, Jose Aguirre. “I just feel so bad for him,” Porras said of Aguirre, who at that moment was being flown to Minneapolis for treatment of second- and third-degree burns and a partially collapsed lung.

By Austin Kaus , August 17, 2010