Propane leak precedes Ryegate house explosion that killed 2

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 he's 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.

"Fortunately, that other guy was there, otherwise we would have had four victims," Olson told The Billings Gazette.

At some point before the explosion some of the neighbors and the property owners had noticed a propane leak. The owners opened the windows and left for a short time to try and air out the trailer house.

"Sometime shortly after they returned the place exploded," Olson said.