68-year-old man dies after rescue from Wisconsin house explosion, fire

LAFAYETTE, Wis. -- A 68-year-old man found in the basement of a home that exploded in southern Wisconsin Tuesday has died, Walworth County officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Leland R. Holden, who was found in the rubble and flown to a local hospital, later died, the Walworth County Sheriff's Office said.

Calls began to come in just after 2:15 p.m. regarding a structure fire and possible explosion at a home in the area, police said.

The home was located on Kulow Road in Lafayette, the Walworth County Sheriff's Office said.

Walworth County sheriff's deputies and the Elkhorn Fire Department responded to the scene, and found a small fire and the aftermath of an apparent explosion.

Deputies began searching for survivors, and secured the area until fire and rescue personnel could arrive.

Firefighters made contact with a male victim who was in the basement, Elkhorn Fire Chief Trent Eichmann said.

It took 30 to 40 minutes to get to him, before he was taken to the hospital.

Family said only one person was home at the time of the explosion, but authorities continued to search the area for any other survivors.

Preliminary information suggests that the incident may be a result of a propane gas explosion, Eichmann said. Since the area is rural, it is not serviced by natural gas.

Video of the scene later Tuesday afternoon showed the home had been completely destroyed in the apparent blast.

"I've talked to a couple other fire departments locally, and they heard the boom, felt the boom," Eichmann said.

Officials do not believe there is a continued risk to the area at this time.

The Elkhorn Fire Department is investigating the cause of the explosion with the assistance of the State Fire Marshal and the Walworth County Sheriff's Office.