St. Paul firefighters praised for 'heroic' home explosion rescue

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - The St. Paul firefighters who first responded to the home explosion Friday morning described the moment they felt the blast and how jumped into action, saving a man's life.

“We were all sitting around the kitchen table, with it being so early in the morning, and we heard it and we felt it – my personal first thought was that somebody must have run into the building because it felt like a loud bang,” said St. Paul firefighter Joaquin Rosales.

In a press conference Monday evening, Rosales, firefighter Jeremie Baker and Captain Dennis Hall were recognized for helping save John Lundahl, the 80-year-old man who owned the home in the 600 block of Payne Avenue. They found him in a pile of rubble.

“We went over and worked together to make sure number one that his airway was clear, and then we worked together to carry him out to medic care,” said Hall. 

Lundahl remains in critical condition.

Surveillance video from a nearby business captured the violent blast. The force was so strong it shattered the windows of nearby homes and sent rubble flying into trees.

“There was debris all the way across the street in trees and up to several houses away,” said Baker. 

In all, the explosion damaged 20 structures. Officials condemned six structures, which included two homes. The Red Cross is assisting 16 people displaced by the explosion.  

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Simpson praised the firefighters for their quick actions. 

“They’re being very humble,” said Simpson. “I think that the actions that they took were extremely heroic given the dangers of what was the cause of that explosion, not really knowing for sure as we’re still in the process of investigation, so my hats off to these and the other members who really took great pride in what we did that day.”

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.