Oregon (WKOW) — Paramedics are on their way to the site of a house explosion in an Oregon village.
The Dane County Dispatch said crew from sister station 27 News responded to the 800 block of Oregon Parks Avenue. Oregon Fire Chief Glenn Linsmeier said he responded after a public works employee notified him of the blast around 8:30 a.m.
Linzmeier confirmed there were no people or animals inside the house, describing it as a duplex under construction.
Linzmeier said three houses were damaged in the blast. The duplex is a total loss. Linzmeyer believes there was “gas of some nature,” he said.
“It was almost a total loss, blown away,” said Linzmeier.
A house to the east of the completely destroyed house caught fire. Another house, also to the east, had physical damage to the outside of the building.
Authorities do not yet know what exploded in the collapsed house.
“It is unclear what happened with that, so we are working with Alliant and other partners to resolve it,” Linzmeier said.
Areas close to the blast have been evacuated, but Linzmeier said the community is now safe to return.
“So the good news is that it is safe for the community.
He understood why the community was shocked by the explosion.
“This is a very peaceful, idyllic, quiet community. This explosion shook so many people and alarmed so many people because this doesn’t happen in Oregon villages. And in this peaceful community,” Linzmeier said.
Police are in the neighborhood until evening.
Neighbors said they felt the explosion several miles away.
Neighbor Jim Beninato said, “I was sitting still in my bed and I heard a noise and the whole house shook and it felt like a car had been torpedoed into the house and everyone came out and the same thing happened. “Everyone in the neighborhood thought something had hit their house, but when we walked outside, one of the new duplexes was completely level and I saw the duplex next door on fire.”
At a house about a block away, a doorbell camera captured the sound of an explosion.
Filmed about a block away from an Oregon house explosion, you can hear the explosion and see small debris falling down in this doorbell video.
This is a story in development that will be updated.
