ST. PAUL, Minn. - Friday morning, a house on Payne Avenue in St. Paul's Railroad Island neighborhood exploded.
Neighbors who felt the quakes from miles away all gathered around the large scene, in awe of the ashes and rubble left behind.
Many were shocked to hear that the homeowner was taken to the hospital, alive. Now, two days after the explosion, John Lundahl's family is also surprised Lundahl survived.
"He had broken his arm and elbow - they did surgery on that and that was a success," Lundahl's sister-in-law Jeanie Lundahl said.
Jeanie said she and her husband are currently in California but have been in touch with the hospital, checking on John's condition every day.
"He's hanging in there," Jeanie said over the phone. She said she found out that John's home was the one that exploded when her son-in-law called her after seeing it being reported on TV.
Jeanie said John is still recovering and is sedated at the hospital. This means they haven't had a chance to tell the former Marine that his beloved home is no longer there.
"That house was his castle," Jeanie said. "He loved that house. He loved working out in the backyard and he was a hard worker."
She said John was constantly bettering his home and had just replaced a window in the bedroom with plans to replace all the windows in the home.
As a former Marine, John, according to Jeanie, is tough but has a heart of gold. She said he always had a soft spot for all the squirrels and birds he fed in his backyard.
"He could feed them and what not, and so I don't know, like I said, that place was his pride and joy," Jeanie said. "I don't know what's going to happen when he finds out it's gone."
Jeanie said they're going to be working on finding a place for John to stay once he is released from the hospital.
"Because Johnny was in the service, (my husband) is going to look into getting into the VA or a home or some place," Jeanie said. "Johnny always said he's a tough Marine - like I said, he's going to make it."
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.