PRINCETON, Minn. — Two people are confirmed dead after a powerful home explosion near Princeton Tuesday morning.
Mille Lacs County Chief Deputy Aaron Evenson said multiple 911 calls came in just before 3:55 a.m. reporting a possible explosion on the 8200 block of 52nd St. Responding deputies arrived within eight minutes, encountering a single-family manufactured residence that had exploded into what Evenson calls "a large debris field" which was partially on fire.
First responders immediately searched the rubble and located two victims, later identified by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office as 60-year-old Royce Edward Kreger Jr. and 61-year-old Katherine Ann Kreger. Both were declared dead on the scene. Evenson said he had been to the property multiple times but "never in a negative light," alluding to the fact the calls were medical-related.
The body of the family dog was also recovered from the debris field.
Chief Deputy Evenson called it the largest explosion he'd seen in 23 years in law enforcement, describing the debris field as easily being 100 yards long by 100 yards wide. He said the explosion was so powerful that cabinets were blown off the walls at a nearby residence, and the blast was felt as far as 23 miles away.
"This was mass destruction," Evenson reflected. "To see bent metal from the frame of this house to have been thrown 50-plus yards, twisted, I have not seen something quite to this degree when it comes to explosions."
Pictures from the scene show boards, insulation and construction materials scattered over a large area, with some of them blown up into trees. "This is mass destruction," Evenson told reporters.
Investigators from the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office are working with the State Fire Marshal's Office to determine what caused the blast.
Chief Deputy Evenson shared that a large propane tank on the property was "actively venting" when first responders showed up, explaining that tanks have a safety valve that opens when they get too hot. He said the fuel was on fire and shooting 30 yards into the air.
KARE 11 has a crew en route and will have the latest details as they become available.
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