2 dead after Minn. school explosion

4 hospitalized in Minneapolis

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — A second body was found in the rubble of a collapsed school building in Minneapolis after an explosion killed a school employee and injured several others, fire officials said Wednesday night.

City fire Chief John Fruetel said the body was recovered around 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Minnehaha Academy. Chief Fruetel said the medical examiner’s office is working to notify relatives.

The blast occurred in a utility as students were playing soccer and basketball at the private Christian school, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, according to fire and school officials.

Contractors were working on one of the campus’ buildings at the time of the blast, which investigators believe was caused by a natural gas explosion, said assistant Minneapolis fire Chief Bryan Tyner.

Theexplosion killed Ruth Berg, a receptionist for 17 years at the school who “welcomed everyone with a smile,” the school said in a statement.

John Carlson, a part-time janitor known for giving Dilly Bars to students, was reported missing. The 81year-old attended the school as a child, sent his own children there, and was like a grandfather figure to students, school officials said.

At a news conference Wednesday night, Chief Fruetel did not specify whether Mr. Carlson’s body was the one located.

Four people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including one in critical condition, at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, according to the hospital. Their names haven’t been released.

Jim Miner, the hospital’s chief of emergency medicine, said victims treated from the blast suffered injuries ranging from head injuries and broken bones to cuts from debris.

Aerial video footage of the school’s campus showed part of a building was ripped apart, with wood splintered and bricks scattered about. Windows in other areas were blown out and shattered. Three people were rescued from the building’s roof shortly after the explosion andfire, Chief Tyner said.

The Star Tribune reported that city records show Master Mechanical Inc. was issued a permit on June 7 for “gas piping and hooking up meter” at the school’s address. Ryan Larsen, a company official, released a statement saying the company was monitoring the situation and referred questions to the Minneapolis Fire Department

Mr. Larsen wouldn’t confirm to The Associated Press that company workers were on site, saying: “We are trying to figure it out.”

Master Mechanical has twice been cited for workplace violations in recent years, according to the newspaper. Jenny O’Brien, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said in 2010 there was a violation related to protecting an employee from falling. In 2014, the company had paperwork violations.

At the time of Wednesday’s blast, as many as 10 students were playing basketball inside a gym at Minnehaha Academy but weren’t near the explosion.