Couple and a dog killed after mobile home explosion leaves 'large debris field' in Minnesota

Two people and a dog were killed when a mobile home exploded in Minnesota on Tuesday.

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office, in a post on social media, said it received multiple calls reporting a "possible explosion" in Princeton, a community about 50 miles north of Minneapolis. The sound of the explosion was heard miles away, authorities said.

Deputies arrived at the scene to find "a large debris field from an apparent explosion which was still on fire at the time."

The sheriff's office, with the assistance of multiple fire departments, doused the fire and searched the debris where two victims were located. The victims were identified as Katherine A. Kreger, 61, and Royce E. Kreger Jr., 60. A family dog was also found dead in the debris, police said.

The two victims lived at the residence, which was a "mobile-type home with a basement under it" authorities said. They were pronounced deceased on the spot.

'It just blows up'

The owner of the property, Stuart Bryan, told the Star Tribune that he had rented the property to a friend and his wife. He said in the 15 years he had owned the house, there had been no problems or issues, "and boom, it just blows up."

Bryan said that Royce had moved into the house with his wife about five years ago.

Terming the explosion as "mass destruction," Chief Deputy Aaron Evenson told the Star Tribune that the blast had a lot of power. The officer added that the explosion was the largest he had seen in his 20 years on the job.

An investigation to determine the cause of the explosion is ongoing, the sheriff's office said.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.