Body found after house destroyed in explosion, officials say

DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - First responders in Indiana are on scene of what was described as a home explosion.

Officials said the entire home was leveled Monday night, and all nearby roads are shut down.

On Tuesday morning, officials with the Department of Homeland Security confirmed a body was found at the scene in Dubois County, southwest of French Lick.

At this time, officials haven’t released the identity of that person. However, family members told WFIE he was David Baker, a father and grandfather.

A propane tank exploded in the home, officials said, but it is unknown what caused it to explode.

A neighbor’s surveillance video shows the moment the explosion happened. The neighbor said the blast blew off his cabinet doors.

Right down the hill from the explosion lives Kern Qualkenbush. He says it was his sister’s home who exploded, and when he saw and felt the fireball, he picked up the phone to make sure she was safe.

“It took me a couple of times to try and get in touch with her,” he said. “I reached her. I said, ‘Sis, where are you?’ She said, ‘I’m driving back from work. I had to work a little late tonight. I said, ‘Sis, your house is on fire. It’s exploded. It’s blown up.”

He realized while on the phone that while his sister was safe, inside was his brother-in-law, Baker.

“I said, ‘Where’s David?’ She said, ‘He was up in the kitchen, making supper for us,’” Qualkenbush said. “She said, ‘David’s there.’ I said, ‘Honey, you need to get home as quick as possible.’”

For Qualkenbush, their entire family and all the residents of their small community, the road to recovery is a long one.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’re going to work it all out. Someway, we’re going to go forward,” he said. “I said, ‘Remember, you’ve got two grandbabies that are in Nashville, Tennessee, that you love, beautiful children. I said, ‘You’ve got to go on for them.’”

Lost River Township Fire reported that houses half a mile away were damaged, and the explosion could be heard 10 miles away.

Officials on the scene said fires caused by the explosion took around three hours to extinguish.

The investigation is being handled by the Indiana State Fire Marshal.

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