One person is injured and a home is a total loss after an explosion rocked a city block in Big Lake this morning.
Monticello Fire was called in to assist on the scene after an explosion and ensuing fire were spotted by Big Lake reserve police staff.
Here’s the complete release from the Big Lake Fire Department:
On November 7th 2016 at 12:20 p.m, two Big Lake Police Reserve Officers were on patrol in the 300 block of Hiawatha Avenue. At this time, the Reserve Officers observed a fully engulfed house fire in the 100 Block of Hiawatha. On their arrival on scene, the Reserve Officers along with several residents in the area assisted the resident of the engulfed home, called for Big Lake Fire Department crews, ambulance (EMS), and additional police assistance.
Preliminary information indicates that the male who was in the home smelled gas, and was in the process of exiting the residence as it exploded and became engulfed in flames. The explosion was heard for several blocks, generating numerous 911 calls to the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch Center. The Big Lake Fire Department, assisted by Monticello Fire arrived and extinguished the fire. The victim who was in the home sustained what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries, he was transported to the Hennepin County Medical Center by CentraCare EMS. The home and two vehicles are a complete loss. The Big Lake Fire Department will be working with the Office of the State Fire Marshal on the investigation into the fire.
The following agencies responded to this incident; Big Lake and Monticello Fire Departments, CentraCare EMS, Sherburne County Sheriff’s Department, Minnesota State Patrol and Big Lake Police.