Seven Dead In Iowa House Blast

A powerful explosion demolished a ranch-style house, killing seven people and injuring six others who had gathered for a party on Labor Day, reports CBS Affiliate KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids.

The cause of the blast remained undetermined Tuesday as officials from the State Fire Marshal's Office prepared to sift through the mounds of bricks, wood and other debris that were still smoldering from the explosion, which occurred at about 3:45 p.m. Monday, reports CBS Affiliate KCCI-TV in Des Moines.

Jerry Usovsky, the owner of the house, as well as one of his two daughters and two other male children were thrown about 30 feet from the house as it exploded while two women managed to crawl from the rubble in the rear of the house, witnesses said.

"The three adults were dazed. The children, really, were in pretty good shape," said Renee Pfeifer, who was at her workplace, L & J's Country Convenience Store, when the house exploded about 200 yards away.

Another worker, Thomas Hoekstra, said the force of the explosion lifted ceiling tiles at the store.

"It felt like an earthquake," he said. "I looked around the corner and there were humongous flames. The whole house was caved in. I heard crying and moaning."

Keokuk County Sheriff Ron George said the victims' bodies, all found in the basement, were in such bad shape they had to be taken to Des Moines for identification. No identities were released.

The cause of the explosion was unknown. George said a propane tank behind the house was still intact.

Usovsky and the injured were taken to the burn unit at University Hospitals in Iowa City, about 50 miles northeast of Richland, a tight-knit farming community of about 550 people.

The other survivors were identified as: Barb Dyer of Richland; Bev Gartner of Iowa City; Trey Gartner, 10, of Iowa City; Josh Kleinmeyer, 10, of Iowa City; and Marlena Usovsky, 8, of Richland.

Jerry Usovsky, Dyer and Bev Gartner remained in critical condition, hospital officials said Tuesday. Trey Gartner was in serious condition, and Kleinmeyer and Marlena Usovsky were in fair condition.

Maria Reif, a neighbor and friend who lived two blocks away from the Usovsky family, said she had driven by the house about 15 minutes before it exploded.

"We've known them forever," she said. "They're wonderful people. He built that house himself and it was a beautiful home."

Reif said she was one of the first people on the scene and helped care for Jerry Usovsky.

"He kept saying, 'The grill. The grill,'" she said, adding that there was a gas grill in the kitchen.

It wasn't immediately clear what kind of party it was.

George said it was an interior decorating party while neighbors said it was a birthday party.

"There's just a hole in the ground," George said. "When I got here, the house was gone."

Another neighbor, Marin Dickinson, said her husband Raymond was in their garage when she heard the blast.

"I thought, what on earth did he just do?," she said. "It jarred our house. The curtains just swished."

When she went outside, "I saw a flash and smoke. It was all-consuming. It was just terrible," Mrs. Dickinson said.