Minnesota Gas Blast Levels 3 City Buildings, Kills at Least 4

A natural gas explosion destroyed three downtown buildings Friday, killing at least four people and injuring 10 others, officials said.

Authorities had gone to the area where a leak was reported when something sparked the blast, fire Chief Mike Holman said.

Two workers from Northern States Power Co. who had responded to the leak were killed in the blast. A third victim was a tenant of an apartment above a business that collapsed. Details about the fourth victim were not available.

The blast, across from the courthouse annex in the heart of downtown, destroyed a building housing a pizza restaurant and second-story apartments and others used by a law office and a bar. The explosion also sent debris flying a block away, shattered windows and knocked out power in the area.

Dennise McMullen, who works in the nearby court administration building, heard a muffled explosion and felt the building shake. She looked out her fourth-floor window and saw what had once been Bellantti’s Pizza and Deli, which was closed for renovations.

“The pizza place was leveled,” she said. “There was nothing there.”

The Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety sent two inspectors to the scene to investigate the cause of the explosion, and the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington dispatched an eight-person team.

In Osseo, Mich., meanwhile, another explosion destroyed the Independence Professional Fireworks Co., leaving seven workers missing. Thirteen others were treated for injuries, mostly smoke inhalation, officials said.

“It’s just like a bomb was dropped,” said Hillsdale County Sheriff Stan Burchardt.