Elderly Man Seriously Burned in House Explosion

BROOTEN, Minn. (AP) — An elderly Stearns County man suffered serious burns in an explosion at his home near Brooten.

Eighty-year-old Herman Imdieke told authorities he smelled gas when he came home Sunday evening. An explosion occurred shortly after he began cooking supper.

A neighbor helped Imdieke from the home which was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Authorities say Imdieke was taken to the Glacier Ridge Hospital in Glenwood with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.