RYEGATE - Tragedy struck a small, tight-knit community as two people were killed in a home explosion Friday night. One couple, Kurt Ronning and Christie DeBuff, died inside the house.
Golden Valley County Sheriff Mark Olsen says the fire started from a propane leak, which quickly lit the entire house on fire around 9 p.m. Fire marshals from surrounding communities are still investigating why and how this happened.
The sudden loss of Kurt and Christie is creating ripple effects across the entire community. They owned a Ryegate Bar and Cafe, which is now closed until further notice. In a small town like this one, with a population of roughly 200 people, everyone had some sort of connection to Kurt and Christie.