PAYNESVILLE, Minn. — The Paynesville Police Department is investigating a house explosion that happened early Tuesday morning, and the man inside at the time escaped with only minor injuries.
Dennis Pederson, who was in his home just before 9:00 am on the 500 block of Morningside Ave. when the house exploded, crawled out of the debris with minor injuries, according to a news release sent out by the police department.
Pederson, 76, was treated and released at the scene. He told KARE 11 he didn't hear much of the explosion from his basement since he wears a hearing aid.
"I didn't even know it was my house," he said.
His neighbors immediately rushed over to help once they realized the home had exploded. Considering the damage, the neighbors assumed Pederson would need immediate medical treatment; instead, he had climbed out the basement window just fine.
"Not even a scratch! Only thing I lost was my shoes," Pederson said. "Lost my shoes. They're somewhere in there."
When police arrived on scene, the house had collapsed and a small fire was visible on the south side of the home. The Paynesville Fire Department extinguished the fire, which had also caused minor damage to a neighboring residence.
The State Fire Marshal's office and the Office of Pipeline Safety are investigating the explosion.
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