On 3/23/18 at 7:00 a.m., an explosion occurred at 27557 Polk Avenue, Kingsley, IA. Kingsley Fire and Ambulance, Remsen Fire and Ambulance and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office responded to the call. Upon arrival, two subjects were found to be injured as a result of the explosion. Pedro Gallegos, age 47 of Jefferson, SD and Pedro Alvarado, age 45 of Remsen IA were transported to Mercy Medical Hospital with serious injuries. One of them was later transferred to the burn unit in Lincoln, NE. Their current conditions are not known at this time.
Kingsley Fire Chief Paul Huth reported to the sheriff's office that their investigation into the cause of the explosion is complete. Huth stated that there was a faulty propane pipeline that supplied a heather in one of the hog confinement buildings. When Gallegos and Alvarado arrived to work, they entered the building and turned up the heat. The building was filled with propane from the faulty line and ignited when the heater was turned on causing the explosion. There are seven hog buildings on the site of the explosion. Three of them were completely destroyed by the explosion and fire. Approximately 1,200 pigs were also killed in the explosion. There will be no further investigation into the explosion according to Fire Chief Paul Huth.