Lincoln, NE – A natural gas explosion in Lincoln sent one person to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and destroyed his home Friday night.
It happened near 8th and B streets around 10:30 p.m.
On the scene Friday night, Lincoln Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Gegg said, “We were able to extinguish the fire pretty quickly however as we continue to evaluate the structure we determined that there was some smoldering fires at the roof line and due to significant structural damage we’re attempting to extinguish those hot spots without going inside the structure and that’s proving to be kind of a challenge right now.”
Lincoln Fire Inspector Don Gross said the occupant of the home was a hoarder living in unsanitary conditions, making conditions worse for fire crews. There were several cats found inside. Five of them were taken by Animal Control. Cat feces was six inches deep throughout the house.
Crews remained on scene until about 7 a.m. Saturday, testing gas lines and trying to figure out where or why there’s a leak.