Earl Wiegert was cutting a customerâs hair when the Hotel Pathfinder exploded.
It was Jan. 10, 1976 and the downtown Fremont barber had just closed the blinds of the shopâs windows to shield his customer from the bright Saturday morning sun.
The blast broke windows, tore off the door and propelled Wiegert and his customer back across the shop. When Wiegert regained consciousness, his customer was gone. Still in shock, the customer had gone to another barber who finished his haircut. Wiegertâs son, John, was home when his dad, also in shock, came in the door â covered in dust, broken glass and small cuts.