Cass Lake man burned in garage explosion
CASS LAKE – A 48-year-old man suffered burns to his face and neck after an explosion in his garage Tuesday, but was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday night.
Robert Todd Schumacher, of Cass Lake, was flown to the burn unit at the Hennepin County Medical Center following the explosion, which occurred just before 4 p.m. Tuesday at his home on Lost Lake Lane.
Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp said Schumacher was working on a snowblower in his garage when the explosion occurred.
Schumacher apparently turned on a wall-mounted propane heater, but it failed to light. The garage filled with the gas, and when Schumacher pulled the pull-start on the snowblower, the spark ignited the gas inside the garage.
When police and paramedics arrived, Schumacher was walking, but appeared to be in shock.
The heater exploded with enough force to separate one exterior wall from another.
