2 injured in home explosion in Rural Richland County

On Saturday January 24th, at approximately 8:26pm, Richland County Dispatch began receiving reports of a loud explosion near the Village of Gotham in rural Richland County.

Deputies responded to the area and were updated with information that a homeowner on Needle Lane believed their neighbor’s house was severely damaged from an unknown blast. Deputies arrived on scene and discovered a residence on Needle Lane that was completely destroyed from an apparent explosion.

Two individuals, Richard and Mary Oman were inside the home during the explosion and were located nearby attempting to stay warm inside a vehicle.

Lone Rock Fire, Lone Rock EMS, and Richland EMS all responded to the scene to assist. The individuals were assessed on scene and transported to the Richland Hospital for significant burns and injuries. They were later taken to UW-Madison Hospital via Med Flight, utilizing Richland Fire to create a landing zone at the Richland Hospital.

Statements were quickly gathered from Richard and Mary Oman prior to being transported to the hospital. Mary stated that they believed they smelled “gas” around 5:00pm within the house, but didn’t look into it any further. Richard stated that after the explosion occurred, he located Mary who was trapped underneath debris and was able to free her.

Richard and Mary went to a nearby vehicle to stay warm until they were located.

At this time, it is believed that no foul play contributed to the explosion, but the investigation is ongoing.

*Information for this article was obtained from a Richland County Sheriff’s Office press release.

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