Home explodes near Drummond Airport
DRUMMOND – Sheriff and fire crews were dispatched to a home explosion Thursday afternoon just south of Drummond.
The home belonged to Dave Sheets, who until approximately 12:45 Thursday lived at 27 Airport Road on 2.9 acres. The residence was built in 1995 and was valued at just over $181,000, according to the Montana Cadastral.
“I really haven’t … This just happened this morning and I really haven’t had a chance to think or…”, said Sheets Thursday evening. The adjuster is coming tomorrow morning so we’ll see if we have money to do anything.
“You read about it happening to someone else, but it’s different when it’s happening to you. I’m just so glad no one got hurt.
The following was posted on the Granite County Sheriff’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon:
At 1255 today Granite County Sheriff's office dispatched Valley Fire to a report of a home explosion on Airport Rd in Drummond. Natural Gas is believed to have been the cause for the explosion. No injuries were reported. The home was vacant and unoccupied at the time of the explosion.
Sheets works in Garrison and had been out of the home since last week.
Northwestern Energy workers on scene after the incident had no clear answer for what caused the explosion, but indicated that the way the home exploded indicated that it was likely a gas explosion. There was little or no fire when the Valley Fire Crew arrived, indicating that the force of the explosion likely prevented any flames from fully igniting. Reports were made that indicated that the blast could be heard all the way from Hall to the east end of Drummond’s Front Street.
“It’s funny, but when we went back we had had a big horn sheep mounted on the wall,” reflected Sheets of his belongings. “Everybody said where’s the sheep? We kept digging around and sure enough we found her. She blowed her ears off and she was singed a bit. But there are so many memories with it. We got it with my kids years and years ago. That was probably the most valuable thing I had and it doesn’t look to valuable right now.”
