John Lundahl, of St. Paul, Minnesota, remains in critical condition at Regions Hospital after an unexpected combustion left him with a broken pelvis and arm, various degrees of burns and reportedly "a couple inches [lost] in his spine," according to his niece Patti Eckert.
"And at this point they're condemning the buildings, because there's structural integrity issues with most of the buildings on this block," said St. Paul Fire Department Assistant Chief Dave Berger, in reference to two homes, a church and two businesses impacted by the explosion. Officials report a dog and cat were also retrieved from the rubble.
Xcel Energy, a Minnesota-based gas company that services the area, released a statement asserting their cooperation with "fire officials on the investigation into the cause of the incident."