EAST BETHEL, Minn. -- Three construction workers are in the hospital following a house explosion in East Bethel Monday morning.
The Anoka County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday morning identified them as 35-year-old Keith Hyovalti, of Oak Grove, 47-year-old William Swanson, of Zimmerman, and 47-year-old James Wells, of Coon Rapids. All three were said to still be at Hennepin Healthcare. Hyovalti and Swanson are in satisfactory condition, but Wells was last reported to be in serious condition.
According to Anoka County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on the 2800 block of Viking Boulevard.
Neighbors say it happened at a new home that has been under construction since last fall. The explosion prompted an enormous response from first responders, including a rescue team to extract three men from the debris. Two were taken by ambulance, another airlifted by helicopter to the hospital. Their current condition is unknown.
One of the common responses among all of the neighbors WCCO spoke with was they heard and felt what happened, then they went outside, looked for smoke, and didn't see any. When you look up above from our drone, you can see a crater in the home, but also this is new construction with engineered I-joists and OSBs. Very flammable materials, and yet, no fire.
"No smoke, no fire. Didn't know where it came from. That was the weird thing," said Mitch Danielsonm, who works nearby. "I've never heard or felt anything like that. I can't believe I went through that. Pretty crazy."
Whatever it was, though, it was violent. A rescue team extracted three construction workers trapped under debris
Neighbors like Katie Verchow were still visibly shaken themselves on Monday afternoon.
"I sat back down at my computer with, you know, in the back of my mind that somebody's life was changed drastically," Verchow said. "The house just shook. I mean, it literally felt like it lifted it off the foundation, and it was so incredibly loud."
What proved unshakable is the sense of community.
"Within a half an hour, people checking, 'Was this close to your house? Was that your house? Are you OK? Do you need anything?'" Verchow said.
And that community, according to officials, also provided firefighters with a big assist. Many people called 911, enabling a faster response that might've saved lives.
"Please don't assume someone else is calling," said Lt. Bill Jacobson with the Anoka County Sheriff's Office. "If something doesn't seem right or you're sensing that you need to call us, we'd much rather have you call us and not need us than to call us later and realize I should've called the deputies at the time."
Both Xcel and CenterPoint energy utilities say the property did not yet have any natural gas service. There was no other reported damage.
3 injured in explosion identified
The Anoka County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday morning identified the three people who were injured in Monday's explosion in East Bethel.
According to the sheriff's office, they were 35-year-old Keith Hyovalti, of Oak Grove, 47-year-old William Swanson, of Zimmerman, and 47-year-old James Wells, of Coon Rapids.
All three were said to still be at Hennepin Healthcare, but were reported to be stable. Hyovalti and Swanson are said to be in satisfactory condition, but Wells is in serious condition.
Xcel Energy: East Bethel home wasn't receiving natural gas
Officials with Xcel Energy released this statement Monday afternoon:
Our thoughts are with those injured in the explosion at a home in East Bethel this morning.
The home at that address is under construction and does not currently receive natural gas service from Xcel Energy. While it was scheduled to be connected to our system soon, there is currently no natural gas supply on the property.
We are inspecting our system in the surrounding area to ensure it is operating as intended and that it continues to provide safe and reliable service to our customers. The safety of the public remains our top priority as a provider of natural gas and we regularly conduct inspections of our gas lines to ensure they meet and exceed requirements. The incident did not cause any gas or electrical outages for our customers in East Bethel.
Sheriff: Home was under construction prior to explosion
The Anoka County Sheriff's Office released more information in the late morning, saying the house was under construction before the explosion.
Three people were found trapped inside and a special rescue team assisted in getting them out of the rubble. The victims, all men, were taken to the Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis. One of the victims was airlifted.
Their conditions are unknown at this time.
The investigation into the explosion is ongoing.
3 taken to HCMC following explosion
According to Allina Health, three patients have been transported from the scene -- two by Allina Health EMS ambulances, one by helicopter ambulance. All were taken to Hennepin Healthcare. Their current conditions are not known.
