STAR TRIBUNE, BRECKENRIDGE, MINN. — A natural-gas explosion destroyed two houses and forced
the evacuation of a city block for the night, but no serious injuries were reported.
The initial blast Thursday night leveled a one-story house, which was vacant,Fire Chief Mike Dohman said. The explosion set a neighboring house on fire,destroying it. He said a firefighter rescued a woman who lived there. She was not hurt.
A garage and two cars also were destroyed. Several nearby homes suffered heavy smoke and water damage.
Firefighters from neighboring Wahpeton, N.D., assisted. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries; neither was hospitalized. Great Plains Natural Gas Co. was brought in to shut off the gas. There was no immediate indication what had caused the gas leak.