JAMESTOWN, N.D. — One person was seriously injured following a call of a possible house explosion early Thursday morning, Sept. 12, according to Maj. Justin Bulinski, Deputy Chief of the Jamestown Police Department.
The fire caused extensive damage to the home and an adjacent building, according to the Jamestown Fire Department.
In a news release issued on behalf of both agencies, Blinski and Fire Chief Jim Luther said the Stutsman County Communications Department received multiple calls reporting a possible residential explosion at about 1:35 a.m. at 545 1st St. W. Jamestown Regional Emergency Services also responded to the scene.
“When I arrived on scene a few minutes after the call, the garage was fully on fire,” said Lt. Sheldon Mohr with the Jamestown Fire Department.
Moore said the fire started in a detached garage at the address and spread to the home and a neighbor’s detached garage.
Cathy Steiner / Jamestown Sun
Emergency responders found the 55-year-old resident outside the home, severely burned but conscious, according to Bulinski and Luther. He was taken to Jamestown Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to a hospital in Minneapolis with life-threatening injuries.
Officers who first arrived on scene attempted to rescue the resident’s dog but were unsuccessful, and the dog was later found deceased, the press release said.
Seven fire engines and 21 firefighters were called to the scene and were on the scene until 4:15 a.m., Moore said.
Joe Jacobson, who lives next door, said he didn’t hear anything but his girlfriend heard a loud bang and thought it might be thunder.
“Then I heard another loud noise and I looked and I saw the bedroom window glowing orange because the curtains are always closed,” said Jacobson’s girlfriend, who declined to give her name. “So I got up and went to the back door and I opened the inner door and I saw the side of the garage was on fire so I went back inside and yelled for my boyfriend and my son to get the cat… I just called 911 and I just stood here watching it all.”
Other neighbors also heard a loud explosion, Jacobson said.
“My girlfriend woke me up around 1:30 and said the garage was on fire so I got out of bed and ran over here,” he said. “That’s when I found out and I told her to call 911 and I came over to see what was going on and I found my neighbor’s garage completely engulfed in flames.”
Jacobson said the family evacuated the home but believes the garage and its contents were a total loss.
Moore said the home where the fire began sustained significant damage and the garage was destroyed, while Luther said the property next door also sustained significant damage.
Blinksy and Luther said the cause and origin of the fire remains under investigation. Other responding agencies include the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the North Dakota State Fire Marshal’s Office. Roads around the scene have been closed and people are being asked to stay away from the scene to allow investigators room to work and to avoid overcrowding.
Cathy Steiner / Jamestown Sun
Kathy Steiner has been editor of the Jamestown Sun since 1995. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Valley City State University and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University in Fargo. She writes about business, government and community in the Jamestown area. She can be reached at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.
