Baby, grandparents killed in South Dakota house explosion
A house explosion in the US has killed a baby and her grandparents and left two young boys in hospital with burns.
Six-month-old Harper Hupp and her grandmother LaDonna Hupp, 61, died at the scene when the South Dakota home exploded around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, Stanley County Sheriff Brad Rathbun said.
William Hupp, 66, was hospitalized but later died.
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Two boys, five-year-old Myles and three-year-old Royce, were seriously injured and flown to a burns ward at a hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The children’s parents, Kelsey and Trevor Hupp, were at work at the time of the explosion.
Trevor’s parents took care of the grandchildren.
Kelsey Hupp said Myles had primarily first- and second-degree burns on 10 percent of his body and Royce suffered third-degree burns on 25 percent of his body on his chest and arms.
“(Myles) squeezes my hand and wiggles his toes. At one point he even fought the sedatives and sat up and looked around. He’s stable,” Kelsey posted on social media.
Royce’s recovery will take longer than his brother’s, she said, but he also wiggled his toes and eventually woke up from the sedation.
Both boys were intubated, she said.
“The boys have a long way to go but we’re just so grateful to be walking this journey with them at all,” she wrote.
“They are strong and will persevere. I will do my best to update as much as possible because I know everyone cares. Please don’t stop praying. I’ll need every gram I can get to keep going. We love our family, friends and community so much.”
Funds were raised to support the family through GoFundMe and First Dakota National Bank, where Trevor Hupp worked.
Rathbun said neighbors in the rural area heard the blast and alerted authorities.
The South Dakota State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the explosion. Rathbun said there was no suspicion of foul play.
