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Man dies in garage explosion in Council Bluffs

News

January 4th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa/KJAN) -One person died during an explosion in a residential area of Council Bluffs, late Tuesday morning.  Council Bluffs Police say a man was found dead after a detached garage exploded at around 11:54-a.m. in the area of 35th Street and Avenue G.  Reports say neighbors two and three blocks away felt the explosion and one witness told said he saw the victim had been thrown into the street. Crews from the Council Bluffs Fire Department and Black Hills Energy, which supplies natural gas in Council Bluffs, responded to the explosion, but authorities say it appears the man who died was working in the garage and the explosion was an accident.

A preliminary investigation concluded that a compressed natural gas cylinder exploded in the garage at 709 N 35th Street, and that the explosion was NOT the result of a gas leak from the utilities serving the property. The incident remains under investigation.

The victim’s name was not immediately released.