Two dead in Minnesota office building blast

[NVMojo]

Tue Dec 28, 2004 04:14 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and one was injured on Tuesday when an explosion obliterated a suburban office building in Ramsey, Minnesota, leaving behind a crater filled with debris, authorities said.

Witnesses said the explosion leveled the two-story brick building, which housed the offices of a real estate firm and a bank.

more...

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh75393_2004-12-28_21-14-09_n28719004_newsml

[JI7]

1. wasn't there an explosion in Oklahoma also ?

[NVMojo]

2. yeah, it seems like it was about two hours after this one ...

[LosinIt]

8. any link to the Oklahoma explosion??

[smallprint]

11. link here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1105100

[karlrschneider]

5. Woot. I was so involved with the Okla story (20 miles from me) I missed

this one. Yikes.

[kainah]

3. and why is this getting so little notice?

especially if it was followed by one in Oklahoma. Our theocon extremists could go nuts with domestic terrorism these days and I don't think the press would even notice.

[NVMojo]

4. you got a point there ...sadly ...it's probably true about the media ...

[dflprincess]

6. Sadly, it is now 3 dead and one person in the hospital

It is currently believed that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. (Though the local media reported that the Dept of Homeland Security did call local authorities to confirm that.) ATF agents were at the scene at least for a while though I got the impression they had left.

[imenja]

7. More detailed story here

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5157890.html

[ObamaFan2500]

9. Question is who did it?

Some people ahve been saying it was the terrorist group. others speaking about the mafia.. my own opinion is branched halfway one oter. at the same time, maybe it is just an acciendte. You have to look at the issue, analyze it, and attack it .

[Rose Siding]

10. The building held a temp office of that bank for Christians

snip>
Workers at surrounding businesses said they heard and felt the blast at about 9:45 a.m. Some of the initial searchers included motorists who were passing through the commercial area on Highway 10.

"They actually heard one of the victims inside," Aldrich said. "They were able to locate him by the sound of his voice and move toward that area."

That man, Robert Lee Smith, 60, of Coon Rapids, is executive vice president and senior commercial lender for Riverview, suffered second- and third-degree burns and was in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center.

The bank, which won national attention this year for its explicitly Christian focus, had set up a temporary loan office in Ramsey to prepare for a new facility in Anoka, Riverview CEO Duane Kropuenske told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.

Kropuenske called the explosion a tragic accident. "These are just fine, outstanding people, and it's just a tragedy to lose them," he said of the two women who died.

Soon after Smith's rescue, the outlook turned bleak for anyone else who had been in the building when it exploded.

http://www.in-forum.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D879DN7G0

I found a third explosion/fire rpt from yesterday. How many of these usually happen on a given day?

One Dead, Several Injured In SF Apartment Fire

The building has been declared a crime scene because of the death and an investigation into the fire is ongoing, said Howes.

Howes said there were reports of an explosion in the area, but that witnesses were hearing the fire venting through closed windows in the building.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/122904_nw_sf_apartment_fire.html

[yella_dawg]

12. I guess the christian god doesn't care for money lenders

using his name in vain.

[InvisibleBallots]

13. who was warning us about Houston two days ago?

Someone suggested there would be a terrorist attack in Houston - Houston seems fine, but this is the second explosion in two days? Coincidence I guess.