Copper Thieves Blamed for Missouri Home Blast

Jan. 04--MADISON COUNTY -- Investigators say they believe damage left by metal thieves caused a propane explosion that leveled a vacant farmhouse near Worden early Thursday.

No one was injured in the 1 a.m. blast at 7902 Possum Hill Road. It rocked neighbors and was reported from as far away as St. Jacob, more than 15 miles south.

Joel Bradler, who lives in a mobile home about 300 yards away, said the concussion blew open his front door and refrigerator door. "It was quite a bang," he explained. "I got up and got dressed and came around the corner and there was nothing left of the house."

Copper pipes outside and inside the home had been cut out, said Prairietown Fire Chief John Gusewelle. Sheriff's and state fire marshal's investigators were at the scene, about 35 miles northeast of St. Louis.

"With the state of the house, it's going to be impossible to come up with an exact cause" of the explosion, Gusewelle said.

Bradler who had been doing renovations for the owner, said: "Everything was normal yesterday. No odd smells, nothing out of the ordinary."

Insulation and other debris dangled from trees on the 57-acre farm. Pages from church hymnals and a handwritten letter from 1943 were found on the ground some 75 yards from the ruins. The papers belonged to former residents Arthur Welch and Gwen Welch, who both died in 2011. Bradler had been boxing up their possessions as part of his work.

Erik Lunsford of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

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