Two injured in house explosion in rural Ottosen

On Sept. 9 at about 9 a.m., the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a house explosion at 606 110th Street, which is east and south of West Bend. The caller advised there was debris all over the acreage and roadway and it appears the house had exploded.

The west Bend Fire Department and Ambulance Service, Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office and Kossuth County EMS responded to the call. Upon arrival, it was determined that two of the three residents were home at the time of the incident.

Catherine Fleischhacker, age 44, was located within the west side of the residence under the debris. Fire and EMS personnel were able to remove her, and she was transported to the Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona by Kossuth County EMS and then by Mercy Life Flight to Mercy Hospital in Mason City with undetermined injuries.

Brett Lanning, 21, was also within the residence but was able to crawl out from under the debris on his own. He was transported to the Humboldt County Hospital by West Bend EMS to determine any possible injuries.

Read the full press release in this week's issue of the Humboldt Independent

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been started to help the family recover from this disaster, donations can be made at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-studebakers-rebuild-from-house-explosion...