1 dead, 1 severely burned from explosion, fire which leveled house in Minnesota

An explosion leveled a home in Minnesota Tuesday morning, killing one person and leaving a severely-burned man searching for his wife, according to Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie.

One person has died from an explosion and fire which leveled a house in Minnesota Tuesday morning.

When responders raced to the home near Hampton, about 35 miles outside Minneapolis, they found the man, who had suffered severe burns to much of his body, and transported him to a hospital, where he remains in unknown condition, Leslie said.

One body was found within the blast debris just before 9 a.m., according to Leslie.

No one else is believed to have been in the home besides the man and his wife, sheriff's office officials said, but the identity of the victim has not yet been released.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, Leslie said, noting that the blast was so powerful that it broke windows in a neighboring house.

"The Sheriff’s Office wishes to extend their sincere condolences to all touched by this tragic event," sheriff's office officials said in a statement. "Identification of the victims will be released once confirmed and family members are notified."

The Minnesota State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation, Leslie said.