Hodgeman County, KS – An apparent propane gas explosion at a rural Hodgeman County home Sunday critically injured a Jetmore-area father and son.
Kenneth “Scott” Kreger, 51, and Alex Kreger, 20, were listed in critical condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center’s St. Francis campus in Wichita on Monday afternoon.
The Hodgeman County Sheriff’s Office, Jetmore Fire Department and Hodgeman County EMS responded to the explosion in the 21000 block of SW C Road in rural southwest Hodgeman County at 5:51 p.m. Sunday.
The units arrived to find the farmhouse severely damaged by the explosion. Hodgeman County Sheriff Ron Ridley said a large portion of the home collapsed and the remainder of the home was no longer structurally sound.
There was no active fire when firefighters arrived and no other nearby homes were damaged.
Ridley said he assumed Kenneth and Alex Kreger somehow managed to either crawl or walk out of the home to a neighboring residence for help.
The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the explosion as propane gas in the basement of the house Monday, although the source of the ignition is still undetermined.
Both men were transported to Hodgeman County Health Center for stabilization before being flown to St. Francis for severe burns.