Huge home explosion kills 1, displacing residents in Wisconsin town, officials say

A massive house explosion in a Wisconsin town killed one person, knocking out power for over 1,000 and launching debris across a city block, media outlets reported.

The explosion rocked a small community Tuesday afternoon in Jefferson County, about 45 miles west of Milwaukee, displacing residents, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office called the blast a “tragedy.”

Jefferson County Chief Deputy Jeffrey Parker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that two people live at the residence, but the other occupant wasn’t home during the explosion shortly before 2 p.m.

Video and photos captured the devastating aftermath.

The Daily Jefferson County Union and other news outlets reported the explosion was believed to have been caused by a natural gas leak. Residents from miles away reported feeling the “deafening explosion,” the newspaper reported.

Initially, over 1,000 customers lost power and residents in a square-mile area evacuated, WISN reported.

By evening, most power was restored and residents could return home, the news outlet reported.

The name of the person killed wasn’t released Tuesday.

The state fire marshal was investigating, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The sheriff’s office said the Red Cross sent teams to help families affected by the explosion.

This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Huge home explosion kills 1, displacing residents in Wisconsin town, officials say."