4 injured after explosion at fish house in northern Minnesota

WASKISH TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - A propane tank explosion inside a northern Minnesota fish house left four people injured on New Year's Day, the sheriff's office reports.

According to the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, they were called at 12:39 p.m. on Saturday for the reported explosion along Upper Red Lake.

As emergency crews were responding, the injured people were taken to a resort area for help and to await medical crews.

When first responders arrived, they determined two of the victims, a man and woman, needed to be airlifted to a hospital. Their conditions are not known.

The other two victims, also a man and a woman, were treated by medics at the resort for burns.

Deputies learned from the victims that the fish house had been using 20 pound propane tanks and a heating mechanism. When the explosion happened, the people inside the fish house had heard a hissing noise. As they worked to turn off the valve, the tank exploded, creating a fireball that filled the house.

Deputies found the fish house about 2.5 miles from the northeast shore of Upper Red Lake. In a release, deputies said: "It was described as a rigid frame wheeled portable fish house that had several areas on the exterior that were melted and burned.  Two propane tanks were located within the structure and appeared to be intact."