fuzzykitten99
VIP Member
AND, only 2 blocks from Progressive's Ramsey branch. We got an email today letting us know that the people in our office are OK, that it wasn't THEIR building that exploded this morning at about 10am. No one knew about the event until the email came through, and we all checked the local news websites for more info.
This is THE main stretch in this area, specifically for truckers, so shutting it down for most of the day was horrible for traffic.
Our Ramsey office was only 2 blocks west, and my husband's shop is about 3 miles East. They even felt the explosion, but didn't really think much of it, because there are about 2-3 a day at the metal recycling center across the street, that sometimes doesn't check the gas tanks of cars they crush. :duh3:
click the link if you want to see photos of the crater.
FULL STORY:
(LINK)
RAMSEY (KSTP) -- A building owned by Premier Commercial Properties and leased out to a bank for office space, exploded around 9:45 this morning near Highway 10 in Ramsey. The blast killed three women and critically injured one man.
Two of the women killed worked at Riverview Community Bank. They have been identified as 49-year old Lois Self of Elk River and 43-year old Ann Talle of Anoka. Their bodies were removed from the rumble just after 1:30pm. The body of a third woman was discovered around 6pm. Her named has not been released, but we know she worked as an office manager at the building.
60-year old Bob Smith of Coon Rapids who also worked for the bank, is the only survivor of the explosion. He was taken from the scene to HCMC and is in critical condition in the burn center. Smith's family released a statement saying that his injuries include second and third degree burns.
A group of people who arrived on the scene just after the explosion helped pull Smith out of the rubble. One of the good samaritans told 5 Eyewitness News that he and others were driving by and pulled over to start digging through bricks after they heard the explosion. They then heard a voice and were able to follow the noise and dig Smith out of the debris. In a statement, Smith's family thanked those who helped rescue him.
Authorities say 100 firefighters from as many as seven department, and police officers from nearly eleven agencies, responded to the explosion.
The owner of the building told 5 Eyewitness News that he believes a gas leak caused the explosion. A spokesman for CenterPoint Energy says there had been no calls about gas odor before the blast. Utility crews were on the scene after the explosion to take care of a broken gas line.
A man at JR's Saloon and Food, near the explosion, says he heard something blow up and felt a tremble. After that, he says he went outside and saw a collapsed building.
Jim Klingelhoets was in the area when the building exploded. He said he heard a big boom and saw smoke rising up from the real estate building. Soon after that he saw fire trucks, police and ambulances on the scene.
People blocks away felt the ground shake after the explosion.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. Other buildings in the area were not heavliy damaged by the explosion.
5 Eyewitness News has done a number of checks into Premier Commercial Properties. The business was renovated two years ago. Before that, it was a telecommunications company and prior to that it was a liquor store. The building was built in the 1980's.
Highway 10 between Thurston Avenue and Sunfish Lake Boulevard in Ramsey is closed. It will likely remain closed until later this evening.
Stay with 5 Eyewitness News for more on this story.
This is THE main stretch in this area, specifically for truckers, so shutting it down for most of the day was horrible for traffic.
Our Ramsey office was only 2 blocks west, and my husband's shop is about 3 miles East. They even felt the explosion, but didn't really think much of it, because there are about 2-3 a day at the metal recycling center across the street, that sometimes doesn't check the gas tanks of cars they crush. :duh3:
click the link if you want to see photos of the crater.
FULL STORY:
(LINK)
RAMSEY (KSTP) -- A building owned by Premier Commercial Properties and leased out to a bank for office space, exploded around 9:45 this morning near Highway 10 in Ramsey. The blast killed three women and critically injured one man.
Two of the women killed worked at Riverview Community Bank. They have been identified as 49-year old Lois Self of Elk River and 43-year old Ann Talle of Anoka. Their bodies were removed from the rumble just after 1:30pm. The body of a third woman was discovered around 6pm. Her named has not been released, but we know she worked as an office manager at the building.
60-year old Bob Smith of Coon Rapids who also worked for the bank, is the only survivor of the explosion. He was taken from the scene to HCMC and is in critical condition in the burn center. Smith's family released a statement saying that his injuries include second and third degree burns.
A group of people who arrived on the scene just after the explosion helped pull Smith out of the rubble. One of the good samaritans told 5 Eyewitness News that he and others were driving by and pulled over to start digging through bricks after they heard the explosion. They then heard a voice and were able to follow the noise and dig Smith out of the debris. In a statement, Smith's family thanked those who helped rescue him.
Authorities say 100 firefighters from as many as seven department, and police officers from nearly eleven agencies, responded to the explosion.
The owner of the building told 5 Eyewitness News that he believes a gas leak caused the explosion. A spokesman for CenterPoint Energy says there had been no calls about gas odor before the blast. Utility crews were on the scene after the explosion to take care of a broken gas line.
A man at JR's Saloon and Food, near the explosion, says he heard something blow up and felt a tremble. After that, he says he went outside and saw a collapsed building.
Jim Klingelhoets was in the area when the building exploded. He said he heard a big boom and saw smoke rising up from the real estate building. Soon after that he saw fire trucks, police and ambulances on the scene.
People blocks away felt the ground shake after the explosion.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. Other buildings in the area were not heavliy damaged by the explosion.
5 Eyewitness News has done a number of checks into Premier Commercial Properties. The business was renovated two years ago. Before that, it was a telecommunications company and prior to that it was a liquor store. The building was built in the 1980's.
Highway 10 between Thurston Avenue and Sunfish Lake Boulevard in Ramsey is closed. It will likely remain closed until later this evening.
Stay with 5 Eyewitness News for more on this story.
