Man dies in explosion after hitting propane tank with tractor

A man died from his injuries after he caused an explosion Saturday by hitting a propane tank valve with a tractor, according to the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an explosion shortly before noon Saturday in Cushing Township, about 10 miles north of Little Falls. They found 65-year-old Joseph Then, of Randall, on the property, suffering from severe burns.

Then was airlifted to a hospital in the Twin Cities, but he did not survive.

The sheriff’s office said Then hit the valve to an underground propane tank, which sparked and ignited into an explosion.