Husband and Wife Dead After Minnesota Mobile Home Explosion, Which Also Killed Family Dog

Danielle Jennings
·2 min read

The victims were identified by police as Royce Edward Kreger Jr., 60, and Katherine Ann Kreger, 61

<p>Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via AP</p> Minnesota explosion

Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via AP

Minnesota explosion

Tragedy struck a Minnesota town after a mobile home explosion left a local couple and their dog dead.

On Tuesday, May 7, a mobile home explosion occurred around 3:54 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office.

“Deputies arrived on scene at the address of 8242 52nd ST and located a large debris field from an apparent explosion which was still on fire at the time. With the assistance of multiple fire departments from the area the fire was extinguished,” police said, noting that a first responders found the bodies of two victims while searching the debris.

Those victims were identified as Royce Edward Kreger Jr., 60, and Katherine Ann Kreger, 61.

"A family dog was also located deceased in the debris," police said.

Related: Police Reveal Identities of the 3 People Killed in Florida Mobile Home Plane Crash

The victims were husband and wife, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

<p>Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via AP</p> Minnesota explosion

Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via AP

Minnesota explosion

Related: Couple Married for Over 60 Years Killed in Pennsylvania House Explosion: 'Best Kind of Parents'

The owner of the property told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the couple had been living there for about five years — and described Royce as a "very, very dear friend."

"He was fantastic," Stuart Bryan. "He took better care of the place than if I lived there."

Speaking with the newspaper, Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Evenson said the cleanup and recovery process will be long. "This is mass destruction," he told the outlet, calling it the "largest explosion I've seen."

A cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

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