A Chaska home was severely damaged by a massive ice buildup after water filled the house while the homeowners were away for several weeks.

No one was injured, but icicles could be seen inside the home and a sheet of ice covered large portions of the back porch and back walls.

"It was bad," said Rachel Thompson, a neighbor who called police and city workers on Monday to notify them of the problems next door. "I didn't know when they were coming home."

Thompson and city officials said Wednesday that the family who lives in the home in the 800 block of Newberry Lane could have been gone for as long as a month, reportedly on vacation in Brazil.

The family returned home Tuesday afternoon. They declined comment Wednesday, when they toured the house with insurance adjusters.

Dean Hylland, Chaska's utilities superintendent, said the city has had to deal with three such homes in the past several days as temperatures have warmed up. "It's typical after a warmup," he said. He said the other two homes with ice and water damage were vacant structures that had not been winterized properly.

Hylland said city crews did not go into the Newberry Lane home on Monday, so they do not know how extensive the damage will be or what caused the water leakage. "There is a lot of water damage outside the house," Hylland said. "There is a lot of ice."

Hylland and Thompson said what happened to the home should serve as a reminder of what needs to be done in winter if homeowners will be gone for a long time.

"Sometimes we forget to turn off the water," Thompson said. "I feel bad for them, but at the same time, they are strong people and I know they'll come through it."

Heron Marquez Estrada • 612-673-4280