Investigators: Cause of Loretto house blast might never be known

The state fire marshal's office said Tuesday that it is unable to pinpoint what sparked a gas explosion in February that leveled a house in Loretto and killed a man inside.

By Tim Harlow, Star Tribune

Last update: June 19, 2007 - 2:40 PM

The state fire marshal's office said Tuesday that it is unable to pinpoint what sparked a gas explosion in February that leveled a house in Loretto and killed a man inside.

Daniel Johnson, 43, was killed in the blast at a house on the 6800 block of County Rd. 19 in western Hennepin County.

Johnson's wife and his 2-year-old son had left the home and spent the night before the blast elsewhere after noticing a gas smell. But Johnson stayed behind and died when the 4,400 house exploded early the next morning.

Searchers found his body in the rubble of the house that he and his wife were remodeling. The family had just moved into the house a month before the fatal explosion.

The explosion rocked the neighborhood and was heard by people 1/4 mile away. Flames shot 30 to 40 feet into the air, witnesses said.

On the night before the explosion, the Johnson's had filled their 1,000 gallon liquefied propane tank and had scheduled a furnace repairman to come the next morning. But the house blew up before any repair man arrived.

On Tuesday, the fire marshal said that the ignition source of the gas explosion could have been caused by any appliance or electrical switch that was working properly, but could not draw a more specific conclusion.

Tim Harlow • harlow@startribune.com