1 dead, 2 critically injured in northern Utah home explosion
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Cassidy Wixom, KSL.com, Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com and Andrew Adams, KSL-TV
NEWTON, Utah (KSL.com) — Sheriff’s deputies have identified the man killed, and others injured in a Cache County home explosion Thursday evening.
The home located at 5670 North and state Route 23 near Newton exploded about 6 p.m. with three people inside, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The home caught fire and was destroyed in the explosion.
The release identified John Mullin as the man killed in the explosion. Another man, Joshua Mullin, was blown out of the home by the explosion and sustained burns on his arms, the sheriff’s office said. Joshua Mullin was transported to Cache Valley Hospital with multiple burns on his arms, chest and face.
“He is currently sedated and has a long recovery ahead of him,” the release stated.
Rescuers pulled a woman — later identified as Caryn Mullin, John’s wife — out of the house. She was hospitalized with multiple fractures and burns to her body and was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital for additional care.
Deputies searched through the rubble of the home into the night looking for John Mullin, who was in the house when the explosion occurred. He was found deceased about midnight.
The family are professional dog breeders who are licensed in the county, deputies said. There were approximately 30 dogs in a separate structure on the property at the time of the blast.
A neighbor told KSL NewsRadio that he saw the explosion from across the street and could smell propane. He heard cries for help from inside the home but couldn’t reach the victims and instead called 911.
Another neighbor said debris from the explosion landed on his property, a few hundred yards away.
Deputies said there were 16 dogs in the home, five of which were recovered several hours after the explosion and taken for treatment. Three of those are in critical condition and two are in good condition. Family members are caring for all the other dogs located on the property.
The sheriff’s office also released a video of the fire rescue efforts.
“The men and women who put their lives on the line to save Caryn demonstrated heroic behaviors as expected in Cache County,” deputies stated.
Cache County Sheriff’s Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi said investigators do not yet know what caused the explosion.
Contributing: Karah Brackin