RYEGATE (AP) â A propane leak apparently led to an explosion that destroyed a mobile home in the central Montana town of Ryegate, killing two people who owned a bar there, Golden Valley County officials said.
The explosion happened at about 9 p.m. Friday and debris was found up to three blocks away, Undersheriff Mark Olson said. While autopsies are pending, Olson said heâs certain the victims are Curtis Ronning and Christin DeBuff, owners of the Ryegate Bar & Cafe.
Two men who went into the house to try and rescue the victims became trapped when the roof collapsed and suffered second-degree burns, Olson said. A third man pulled them through a window to safety, he said.
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.