Explosion, house fire near West Bend, 2 severely injured

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. - Crews rushed to get a house fire under control near West Bend on Friday night, July 23. It happened on Norman Drive in the town of Barton east of U.S. Highway 45.

Officials were notified of an explosion and house fire at a single-family residence around 8:15 p.m. by a nearby neighbor.

There were two occupants at the residence at the time of the explosion. Both occupants received severe burns. They were taken by ambulance to a local hospital where they were then med flighted to a regional burn unit.

Fire officials called in as many fire crews as possible to assist – 13 departments along with the West Bend Fire Department responded to this incident. A lack of fire hydrants in the rural area presented problems, FOX6 News at the scene learned.

Traffic to the area was shut down for nearly four hours. Neighboring residences were temporarily evacuated.

The residence sustained severe damage due to the fire, smoke and water. The house and contents appear to be a total loss. Preliminary damage estimates were believed to exceed $300,000. Minor damage occurred to a neighboring home.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin Department of Justice State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the West Bend Fire Department.

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