Princeton house explosion kills 2 people

PRINCETON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A house explosion in Princeton, Minnesota, killed a man, woman, and dog on Tuesday morning. 

Mille Lacs County Sheriff Chief Deputy Aaron Evenson said dispatch started receiving 911 calls around 4 a.m. reporting a possible explosion. Law enforcement responded at the 8200 block of 52nd Street and found a "large debris field" on fire.

Crews worked to extinguish the blaze, and while searching the debris field, officials located a man and woman who were pronounced dead at the scene. The family dog was also killed. 

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 61-year-old Royce Edward Kreger Jr. and 61-year-old Katherine Ann Kreger.

"This is by far, in my 20 years of responding to emergency calls, the largest explosion I have ever seen," explained Evenson. 

House debris, clothes, and twisted pieces of metal were scattered in the trees. Aerial footage shows the debris stretching out into a field behind the house. Chief Deputy Evenson noted that the explosion was reportedly heard as far as 23 miles north of the site.

"This is mass destruction. To see bent metal from the frame of this home has been thrown 50 plus yards, twisted. I have not seen something quite to this degree when it comes to explosions," Evenson said of the explosion.  

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, but the sheriff’s office said a propane tank was actively venting when a deputy arrived at the scene and had to shut it off. Evenson explained once a propane tank gets hot enough, it actively ventilates by releasing pressure through the safety valve on top, causing it to shoot propane and fire into the air. 

The sheriff’s office said the State Fire Marshal’s Office will be assisting in the investigation.