Skip to Content

Friends mourn 20-year-old woman killed in home explosion

By WCCO Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    LE SUEUR COUNTY, Minnesota (WCCO) — Smoke rose from a gaping hole in the ground in rural Lexington Township, near Le Center in Le Sueur County.

It was all that was left of a home that exploded Friday night. The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office said crews arrived around 11:30 p.m. to a collapsed home on fire. They said the homeowners were gone and a woman was housesitting, caring for the dogs. Her body was found in the basement.

Friends identify her as 20-year-old Kailey Mach. They say she went to Tri-City Union High School in Montgomery and was attending Augsburg University, where she hoped to study elementary education.

“She always talked about how she was going to change the world by teaching the next generation,” her friend Shelby said. “She didn’t care if she was having a bad day, if you told her you were upset she wouldn’t rest until she got you to smile.”

She said Kailey was proud of her Czech heritage and loved to dance, and she was the type of friend who always wanted to bring people together.

As investigators work to determine the cause of the blast, the community mourns the loss of a young woman, taken too soon.

Augsburg University officials released this statement Sunday: “The Augsburg University community is deeply saddened by Kailey’s tragic passing this weekend. We offer our profound condolences to her family, friends, professors, classmates, and all who were close to her.”

The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are working together to determine the cause of the explosion.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

Jump to comments ↓

CNN Newsource

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content