3 Hurt in Explosion at South Dakota Petroleum Distributor

Three people were hurt in an explosion at a South Dakota petroleum distributor on Dec. 30, the company’s co-owner said.

The explosion happened around 2 p.m. in the truck maintenance shop of Harms Oil just west of Aberdeen.

Co-owner Jason Harms confirms three people were hurt. Brown County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Lunzman said two of the men suffered severe burns and were flown to a burn unit in Minneapolis. But all three men suffered non-life-threatening injuries, he said.

Traffic on nearby Highway 12 was blocked shortly after the explosion, the Aberdeen News reported. Heavy smoke could be seen following the explosion.

Brown County Emergency Management Director Scott Meints said crews had the fire under control about three hours later. He said the maintenance shop was severely damaged.

Authorities don’t know what caused the explosion and it remains under investigation.

State investigators went inside the damaged truck maintenance shop on Tuesday, Lunzman said. An insurance company was expected to visit the site this week, he said.