The blast, which could be felt for miles, happened around 11:15 p.m. in the town of Lake Wilson in Murray County. No injuries were reported, but two fire halls were destroyed and windows and doors throught the town were blown out.
"It was quite a boom. They heard it probably 20 miles away," said Mayor Neal Gilbertson, who added that the explosion knocked dishes out of the cupboards of his home three blocks from the blast site.
One of the fire houses all but disappeared in the blast, while the explosion knocked the other one down, said Don Nielsen, city maintenance supervisor.
"One's totally gone and there ain't much left of the other," Nielsen said.
Homes within about two blocks also were damaged, and the main power line through the town of roughly 300 was knocked down, he said.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Early reports indicate a propane tank may be the source.
Pawlenty is scheduled to arrive in Lake Wilson around 2:30 p.m.
Eyewitness News has a crew in Lake Wilson reporting on events there. Watch Channel 5 for the latest updates.
Lake Wilson is about 40 miles south of Marshall.
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