Explosion Rocks Community In Early Morning Fire

THE PARISH CENTER burns to the ground early Monday morning

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THIS VEHICLE HIT THE GAS METER that caused the subsequent explosion of the St. Patrick's Parish Center. The vehicle was driven by a Guatemalan national.

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UNDISTURBED ITEMS That were in one of the offices of the Parish Center that seemed to not be affected by the blast were a chalice, a glass and a pitcher.

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THE STEEL GIRDERS of the Parish Center are all that remains after Monday's Explosion.

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O'Neill FIRE AND RESCUE access the Guatemalan national driver of the vehicle that caused the subsequent explosion of the Parish Center. The man was transported to West Holt Hospital and then later flown to Omaha.

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The once-in-a-lifetime event finally caught up with firefighters in O'Neill on Monday, Oct. 7. Many residents in O'Neill were awakened to what they thought was thunder or a blown electrical transformer. In reality, the St. Patrick's Parish Center had exploded. 

The details of the incident were released Tuesday morning by the Holt County Attorneys office. Around 5 a.m.  a 58 year old Guatemalan national drove a Toyota 4-runner onto the lawn behind the Parish Center and collided with a gas appliance feeding the Parish Center. The collision caused the line to pump natural gas into the facility until around 6 a.m. when the gas found an ignition source causing the explosion.

At the time of the release and based  upon a review of witnesses, interviews and medical records, there was no evidence that the individual was under the influence of any alcohol or intoxicating substances. The individual appeared back at the scene of the incident suffering from possible injuries from the explosion and was transported to West Holt Memorial before being life flighted to University Medical Center in Omaha.

The Parish Center, which was the Sisters of St. Francis Convent, was built in 1963. The building was constructed as a home for the nuns teaching at the St. Mary's Academy. The building survived the academy fire and served as the sister's residence until 1992 when it became the St. Patrick's Parish Center, which housed the record-keeping and nerve center of St. Patrick's and St. Mary's Schools. The offices were on the first floor of the building.

Fire crews were dispatched at about 6 a.m. to an explosion at the facility's address. Flames were shooting out of the building's skeleton, and the facade and windows were blown out into the street and onto the grounds of St. Mary's Grade and High School. Firefighters took a total defensive position, and mutual aid was called for from Atkinson, Ewing, and Chambers, with the departments providing fire and medical units.

St. Anthony's hospital was hit by the blast, shattering windows in the original hospital building and inflicting severe damage to the new multi-million dollar renovation. The hospital was evacuated after the explosion, and patients were transferred to West Holt Hospital in Atkinson by Atkinson and O'Neill Medical Units. A make-shift medical center was set up at the O'Neill Community Center. The hospital will remain closed until structural integrity is verified. Doors and fixtures were blown off track, and cracks in the new ER ceiling were noted. A team from Avera was on the scene this morning to help assess damage to their facility.

Damage to St. Mary's Grade School is in question, as the blast shattered windows and damaged structural supports throughout the structure.

Homes across from the parish center were also severely damaged, with one house's structural integrity compromised.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshall's office had several investigators and the Nebraska State Patrol on the scene with Black Hills Energy. The incident damage will be totaled in the millions of dollars. The Atkinson, Chambers, and Ewing Fire Departments assisted with fire suppression and assisted O'Neill with ambulance calls during the day on Monday.

The O'Neill Fire Department and all of the Holt County responders would like to thank 402 Beef as well as any other people who donated food and drinks to the responders at the scene.

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