Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 6:48 a.m. Sunday, March 11, of an explosion and fire at 36948 Tri-County Road in rural Paynesville, at a residence owned by Jason Mages. Initial reports indicated there was one minor injury sustained by the homeowner. Information received indicated a farm shop had exploded, causing extensive damage. Meeker County Sheriff’s deputies and the Paynesville Fire Department responded, and the first units on the scene found debris spread out over a large area. The Paynesville Fire Department put down small pockets of fires that were still burning; a highline wire across the roadway was damaged and Meeker Cooperative was contacted to repair the damaged wire. The exploded building was a heated 160×120 building that contained a shop area in the rear, with an office area on the front of the building. Three propane radiant heaters were reported to be in the shop area of the building and a propane furnace in the office area. The building itself is a complete loss, along with all the contents, including farm machinery located within the building. Other buildings located on this farm site also received some damage. The house itself sustained window and structural damage and is not livable at this time. All out buildings on the farm site received some damage, with the most extensive damage to buildings located nearest the shop. Buildings located furthest away received less damage from the explosion. The cause of the explosion has not been determined, and is under investigation by the Paynesville Fire Department, Minnesota State Fire Marshal and Meeker County Sheriff’s Office. Total damage has not been determined, but is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Two neighboring farms, located approximately a half-mile north of the explosion, also received minor damage (to windows within the homes).
