Two dead after Dane County home explosion

TOWN OF SPRINGFIELD, Wis. (WMTV) - A second person is dead after a home explosion near Middleton, according to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

Dane County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Elise Schaffer confirmed just after 1 p.m. that a second person was found dead in the Town of Springfield home.

A call about the explosion on 4900 Capitol View Road came in as a residential structure fire at just before 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to officials. When crews arrived on scene, the house was engulfed.

Josef Anderegg lives next to the home and he said the explosion was so massive it woke him up and shook his house.

“You can’t explain it, it was like a bomb,” Anderegg said. ”It was totally engulfed.”

Anderegg and other neighbors said an elderly couple lived in the house that exploded. He described them as neighborly, in their 80s and that they were originally from Switzerland but had lived there for 30 to 40 years.

Schaffer said they will not identify the two people killed. She said that information will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner.

Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said investigators have arrived on scene to ensure the scene is safe. He noted there are nails, debris, insulation and ammunition strewn everywhere.

“It is still very unstable- a lot of flareups that are taking place and so for the investigators to get in and find out what’s happening, the scene has to be safe,” Barrett said.

The temperature of the pile of rubble was at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Sheriff Barrett.

Some residents nearby reported sounds of gunfire. The sheriff’s office says they believe the fire may have set off a large amount of ammunition inside the house. According the Dane Co. Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, none of the first responders faced any incoming fire from the ammunition.

Sheriff Barrett noted Wednesday morning investigators from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the State Fire Marshal, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and state Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation are all on scene.

Authorities have Capitol View Road closed until further notice while they investigate. Barrett said safety is their top concern and officials will continue to provide updates on social media to the community.

Law enforcement are working to contact the owners of the home. Sheriff Barrett said that investigators have not yet confirmed the person who died lived in the home, but that one could assume it. Officials have not identified the deceased individual.

Officials believe there are others that live in the house and are still identifying who those individuals are.

“This is a very unpredictable and sad situation,” Barrett said.

Officials add that Madison Gas & Electric, along with the Salvation Army helped at the scene.

Sheriff Barrett added that investigators do not know the cause of the fire yet, nor if it is suspicious in nature.

Dane County Sheriff’s deputies, along with fire departments from Middleton, Verona, Mt. Horeb, Cross Plains, Union, and Black Earth, all assisted in this call from Capitol View Road.

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