By Terri Pederson
The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Copyright 2006 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
FALL RIVER, Wis. — If Steve and Sue Weihert hadn’t been on vacation, it might have been tragic.
And another bit of luck: Their son, Jason, had car trouble and couldn’t make it home Sunday night.
Now there’s no home left.
The Weiherts’ home in the town of Fountain Prairie, just north of Fall River in Columbia County, is obliterated: a scattered mess of splintered sticks and fluffy pink insulation.
Authorities say a gas explosion, heard 25 miles away, blew it up Monday. No one was injured.
The explosion at W709 Riverview Drive was likely the result of a gas vapor, and the cause of ignition is undetermined, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Steve Weihert’s sister, Sue Zimmerman, said the couple is still in shock, and they do not feel up to talking to anyone.
“They just want to know what happened,” Zimmerman said.
The Weiherts’ family did not know if they were at home until one of Steve Weihert’s sisters was able to reach them on their cell phone.
“They were staying at Sue’s parent’s cabin in Nekoosa,” Zimmerman said.
The couple returned to their home after being notified of what had happened.
Zimmerman said the family is fortunate that Jason Weihert had car trouble. He was supposed to be staying in the home Sunday night, but was unable to get his car started.
The explosion happened a little after 5 a.m., said Wally Kamp, W706 Riverview Drive, who lives across from the Weiherts.
“I was getting ready for work and I just heard a loud boom,” Kamp said. “At first I thought it was lightning it was so loud, but then I looked out to see if I could see the lightning and the house was gone.”
After making sure his family was safe, Kamp said he called 911. A small fire started in the corner of the former home before the fire department arrived.
Kamp said that he heard from firefighters that the blast was heard in Pardeeville, about 25 miles away. “One of my buddies works in Rio and they heard it there,” Kamp said.
Neighboring homes, including Kamp’s, were damaged. Kamp said the front of his home had windows blown out and his doors were damaged.
“It knocked a 2-by-4 down that knocked the house off the foundation,” Kamp said.
Portions of the Weihert home were found in Kamp’s lawn.
“Their front door jamb was in our backyard,” Kamp said.
Karen Beers, W736 Riverview Drive, said she doesn’t “ever want to hear anything like that again.”
Damage to Beers’ home included her roof being lifted off.
“There are a lot of things on the floor broken,” Beers said.
“Thank God, they are alive,” Beers said. “The house can be replaced. Things can be replaced. They can’t be.”
The couple will stay with either his or her parents overnight and will not be able to begin the major cleanup until the insurance company looks at the area today.
“There is not much left,” Zimmerman said.
They have been able to find some keepsakes such as Steve’s old baseball cards and wedding photos.