House explosion kills 2 people in Mandan

Two people were killed and one injured after a house exploded on Wednesday.

Thursday morning officials released the names of the victims.

Morton County Sheriff's Department says 58-year-old Elizabeth Howe was found dead at the scene, and her husband 60-year-old Clyde Howe died at the hospital.

Their 17-year-old daughter Elianna Vazquez is still in the hospital.

Elizabeth and Clyde's other children were at the site of their parents' home Thursday where they spent much of the day looking through what's left after the explosion.

They hung an American flag on what's left of the home. They say they found the flag Thursday morning and put it up to honor their parents.

Elizabeth was a nurse at Bismarck's VA Hospital. Clyde served in the U.S. Navy and they say he was proud to be an American.

The family is asking for respect and privacy during this very difficult time.

A house explosion in Mandan early Wednesday morning has left two dead.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier says the investigation isn't complete, but at this time the cause appears to be an accidental propane-related explosion at the home.

Authorities were called to the area north of Mandan shortly after midnight. When officers arrived there was no fire, but the home was destroyed.

There were three people inside at the time. A woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and a man and young woman were transported to a Bismarck hospital.

"This explosion, it was pretty violent. So there was definitely a big build up of gas in the house, and we're just trying to determine what the ignition source was. It definitely was a violent explosion," says Kirchmeier.

The man later died at the hospital, and Kirchmeier says the young woman is still in the hospital.

There's a GoFundMe page with more than $10,000 raised for the young woman involved in this tragedy.

If you would like to donate you can visit the attached link.