House leveled in Manawa
By Holly Neumann
One man was killed when a house exploded around 8:45 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at County Trunk N and County T in the town of Lebanon.
The deceased was the sole occupant of the house at the time of the incident.
Josh Smith, assistant fire chief for the Manawa Rural Fire Department (MRFD), was one of the first to arrive at the scene.
“We called for additional resources before we even got here,” Smith said. “When we arrived, there was debris everywhere and only minimal fire. The house was completely leveled.”
Smith said early reports indicated there were multiple people in the home.
“That was hard,” he said. “We were on scene for about 15 minutes before we knew for sure that the victim was the only person home.”
Waupaca County Sheriff Tim Wilz was also at the scene.
“I was out of town when the call came in,” said Wilz. “When I got here and saw that the entire home was leveled, my first thought was, I hope no one was home.”
The entire debris field was about 500 feet in diameter.
Neighbors’ homes damaged
“Homes to the west and one to the north had their windows blown out,” Wilz said.
Bill and Linda Johnson, who live diagonally across the road from the explosion. had structural damage to their home.
“I was at church at the time of the explosion,” said Linda Johnson. “We have windows blown out and glass blown all over the place. Inside our house, there is stuff all over the floor, and the garage was even shifted off its foundation.”
Sandra Heimbruch, who lives about a block away, said she will never forget the sound of the explosion.
“My husband and I were in our bedroom and heard a big boom,” she said. “We thought it was gun shot at first. My husband called 911, and then we saw all the black smoke and fire. Our son said that the house was gone. Debris was floating all over. It smelled like fireworks. All I could say was ‘Oh, my God.’”
Insulation covered the ground and clothing hung in some of the trees. Shards of glass, screws, nails and boards were scattered everywhere. Caution tape surrounded the scene.
Manawa Fire Chief Rob Rosenau said he has never seen anything like this before.
“We were always hoping that it’s not going to happen in our area, but unfortunately, we have it in our area today,” he said.
The cause of the explosion remains undetermined.
“The fire marshal and his team are involved with the initial investigation,” Wilz said. “Insurance companies will also have their own investigators as well.”
The victim’s body was located inside of the home. Officials believe he may have been sleeping at the time of the explosion.
No other injuries were reported from the scene.
The victim’s name has not been released, pending notification of family.