1 killed in home explosion, fire near Le Center

A woman is dead after a house exploded and collapsed late Saturday night in rural Le Sueur County, officials say.

According to the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office, emergency crews responded to a report of an explosion and fire just before 11:30 p.m. on 211th Avenue, a few miles northeast of Le Center in rural Lexington Township. Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies arrived to find the home collapsed and burning from an explosion.

Aerial footage of the scene shows the obliterated home reduced to a charred hole in the ground with debris scattered for hundreds of feet all around.

First responders learned that the owner of the home and his family were out of town but a 20-year-old house sitter was staying there to take care of the home and the dogs. A woman’s body was found in the basement and was taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, and the victim’s name will be released at a later time.