FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On July 6, 2022 the Ida County Communications Center received a 911 call of a house explosion at 2362 Carriage Avenue Battle Creek, Iowa 51006.

When first responders arrived on scene they discovered the home completely engulfed in flames, and three injured victims who had been inside the home at the time of the explosion.

Those three had been assisted outside the house by another person who was present, but not inside the house at the time of the explosion.

The three injured persons were identified as:

Jeremy Louis Bruning, 42

Sandra Kay Jepsen, 68

Joel Allen Stapleton, 46

All three injured individuals were transported from the scene to area hospitals. Ms. Jepsen and Mr. Bruning were transported to Horn Memorial Hospital in Ida Grove, Iowa; and Mr. Stapleton was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

The investigation into the cause of the explosion is continuing and being conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety's State Fire Marshal Division.

The Ida County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the following:

Battle Creek Fire Department; Battle Creek Ambulance service; Ida Grove Fire Department; Ida Grove Ambulance service; Holstein Ambulance service; Danbury Fire Department; Danbury Ambulance service; Cushing Fire Department; Cushing Ambulance service; Woodbury County Emergency Services; Kiron Ambulance service; Crawford County Memorial Hospital Ambulance service; Ida County Emergency Management; Ida County Emergency Services; Monona County Emergency Management; Cherokee Emergency Management; the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa State Fire Marshal.  

WADE A. HARRIMAN

IDA COUNTY SHERIFF