One man has died in an explosion at a private residence in Lafayette, Wisconsin, that was reported on the afternoon of July 2, according to the local sheriff’s office.
“On July 2nd, 2024, at approximately 2:18 PM, the Walworth County Communications Center began to receive numerous calls of a structure fire and reports of an explosion at a residence. The residence is located on Kulow Road in the Town of Lafayette, Walworth County, Wisconsin,” the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.
The Sheriff’s Office and the local Fire Department attended the scene and found that an explosion had taken place and a small fire ignited at the residence.
“Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Elkhorn Fire Department were dispatched. Upon the arrival of Sheriff’s Deputies, they reported a small fire and confirmed an explosion had occurred at the residence,” according to the statement.
The man, identified as 68-year-old male resident Leland R. Holden, who was rescued from the rubble of the basement in an operation that took more than half an hour and transported by helicopter to a local trauma center, later died from his injuries.
Authorities said he was the only occupant of the building. The fire department, along with search and rescue teams, conducted an extensive search of the property and no one else was located.
“The Elkhorn Fire Department is investigating the cause of the explosion with the assistance of the State Fire Marshall and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff’s office said in an update on Wednesday evening.
Preliminary information suggests that the incident may have been a propane gas explosion, according to Elkhorn Fire Chief Trent Eichmann, adding that due to the rural nature of the area it is not serviced by gas.
“I’ve talked to a couple other fire departments locally, and they heard the boom, felt the boom,” Mr. Eichmann said.
NTD has contacted the Elkhorn Area Fire Department for further comment.
According to officials, the incident is not believed to pose any further risk to the public in the area at this time.
