Onawa IA

Onawa man hurt in explosion dies in Omaha – SCJ

Onawa man hurt in explosion dies in Omaha

September 3, 2007
ONAWA, Iowa — The man hurt in a home explosion last week died Saturday in Omaha.

Earl Thelander, 80, died at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha. Funeral services will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at First Christian Church in Onawa. Burial will be at a later date.

Thelander was hospitalized Tuesday with burn injuries after an explosion damaged an unoccupied home he owns in rural Onawa. The explosion happened in the basement at 20877 Gum Ave., where Thelander had just plugged in a fan to help vent fumes from a propane line that had been cut in an alleged burglary earlier Tuesday, the Monona County Sheriff’s Office reported.

After the explosion, Thelander drove about two miles to his home, where he then was taken to Burgess Health Center in Onawa. He was then was airlifted to an Omaha burn unit, where medical personnel treated second-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

Authorities said they believe the explosion is connected to a cut propane line on a furnace in the basement. The sheriff’s office had been called to the home Tuesday morning on a report of burglary and vandalism, but when deputies arrived, no one was there.

The burglar broke a door to get into the home and removed copper water lines before attempting to take the copper propane line, the sheriff’s office reported. Thelander owns the home, which was vacant, neighbors said.

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Journal Comments

Phyllis Brus wrote on Sep 3, 2007 6:55 PM:
“My feeling is if this vandal is found he should be tried for manslauter at the very least.”

~~Tragic~~ wrote on Sep 3, 2007 5:24 PM:
“How tragic. Chances are the person responsible for this tragedy doesn’t read the newspaper. But if by chance they do; you should be ashamed of yourself. You stole things that weren’t yours and then took this man’s life; all over a couple bucks!? Hopefully this family can grieve and find peace; knowing the “big guy” knows who you are.”

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the Monona County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 423-2525.

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Onawa Explosion Victim Dies – MSNBC

Onawa Explosion Victim Dies

September 3, 2007

An Onawa, Iowa, man injured last week in a natural gas explosion in the basement of a vacant home has died. Earl Thelander died Saturday at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.

Officials say they think the home exploded when Thelander plugged in a fan to help vent fumes from a broken propane line leading to the furnace. Officials say the line had been cut when burglars were stealing copper lines from the home and cut the gas lines before leaving.

Visitation and a funeral will be held later this week.

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Onawa Explosion Victim Dies

September 3, 2007

An Onawa man injured last week in a natural gas explosion in the basement of a vacant home has died. Earl Thelander died Saturday at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.

Officials say they think the home exploded when Thelander plugged in a fan to help vent fumes from a broken propane line leading to the furnace.

Officials say the line had been cut when burglars were stealing copper lines from the home and cut the gas lines before leaving.

Visitation and a funeral will be held later this week.

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Explosion victim dies of injuries – Daily Nonpareil

Explosion victim dies of injuries

9/04/2007

ONAWA – A man injured in a propane explosion at a vacant house he owned died Saturday at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.

Earl Thelander, 80, was hospitalized Aug. 27 after suffering second- and third-degree burns.

He plugged in a fan to air out the house’s basement and it caused the gas fumes to explode, according to the Monona County Sheriff’s Office. *

The office said copper wire thieves had burglarized the house earlier and cut into a gas line, causing the leak.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said there had been no arrests in the case as of this morning.

According to Monona County Assistant County Attorney Steve Allen, his office is investigating what charges to file if an arrest is made.

He said they had ruled out first-degree murder unless intent to cause Thelander’s death could be proven.

Thelander’s funeral will be held Thursday at First Christian Church in Onawa. Visitation and a memorial prayer service are set for Wednesday evening at Rush Family Care Service in Onawa.

– Tom McMahon

* Correction: Earl had gone back to the home several hours after the gas leak had first been discovered. The sheriff’s department had gone, and, smelling no remaining fumes, Earl plugged in a fan to help dry water on the floor’s basement so he could install a new water pump. (He did not plug it in to air out any remaining fumes, because he didn’t smell anything.)

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Monday’s Our View: Tragic Turn

Monday’s Our View: Tragic turn

“A person who kills another person with malice aforethought either expressed or implied commits murder.”

9/10/2007

Our Position: Copper thieves responsible for man’s death.

As unlikely as it may have seemed, the rise in copper thefts was bound to take a tragic turn. On Sept. 1, Earl Thelander, 80, of Onawa succumbed to severe burns and injuries he suffered after thieves broke into a house he owned and stole copper tubing waterlines and attempted to steal the copper propane lines as well. When they didn’t succeed in the later, they left the lines damaged, emitting propane gas into the house.

Monona County officials said Thelander triggered an explosion when he plugged in a fan to help rid the house of fumes. Thankfully no one was living in the residence, but tragically, Thelander suffered second and third-degree burns in the explosion.

While some may dub this incident an accident, it was far from it. Thelander died as the result of someone else’s disregard for the law, both natural and state mandated.

While the Monona County Attorney Steve Allen is investigating what charges to file in the event an arrest is made, law officials all over southwest Iowa have made a point of noting that these crimes are hard to prosecute because it is difficult to identify suspects. Allen told The Daily Nonpareil last week he had ruled out a charge of first-degree murder unless intent to cause Thelander’s death could be proven.

Obviously the people who would perpetrate such a crime are far from rocket scientists, they obviously knew that cutting into the propane line was a bad idea since they left without stripping the copper from it. Rather than admit what they had done and possibly sparing Thelander’s life, they left a dangerous situation to someone else. The result was an explosion and the loss of one man’s life.

Perhaps even more tragic about the situation is the fact that copper thefts are happening virtually every day. Power losses have been reported, construction sites have suffered financial and time setbacks and local residents have had to cope in the sweltering heat after thieves stole their air conditioning units.

If you don’t think it’s that much of a problem, talk to the Rev. Geraldine Sanford of the Mount Zion Refuge Center, 3032 Seventh Ave. In July, thieves took the church’s air conditioner, a large commercial ground unit that was bolted into a concrete slab. A repairman told Sanford the thieves cut the unit out and pulled the plug to the electricity so that they would not get shocked. The estimate to replace the unit is between $2,400 and $3,000.

Investigating officers said the suspects probably wanted the unit for the copper. They said there would have been $85 to $90 worth of copper to be salvaged.

Essentially, the thieves are causing enormous amounts of destruction for small amounts of money.

How can you compare the cost of scrap metal to one man’s life? This is something the thieves did not think about, but it’s time we did, before someone else is hurt or killed.

In late August, Pottawattamie County and Council Bluffs city officials took small steps to attack the problem. The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance stating anybody caught burning the unwanted excess from the wires will now be issued with a fine.

On a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Melvyn Houser absent, the board approved a $750 fine for those caught burning copper wires the first time and a $1,000 fine for each time thereafter.

The City Council has approved the first reading of an ordinance introduced by the Council Bluffs Police Department in an attempt to curb copper thefts.

Councilwoman Lynne Branigan was absent for the 4-0 vote, the first in a series for the ordinance, which requires local scrap dealers begin keeping records, including the use of fingerprints, of any individuals selling them scrap metals. The purpose is to crack down on the increasing number of scrap metals thefts, particularly copper and aluminum.

These records would then be used by the department for possible leads into metal thefts.

If we truly want to send a message to these thieves, there is no better place to start than in Monona County. Iowa law states “A person who kills another person with malice aforethought either expressed or implied commits murder.” By leaving a dangerous situation posed by the propane leak, the thieves knowingly placed Thelander in mortal danger before the explosion. Since the result was Thelander’s death, the thieves are ultimately responsible and should be charged with murder. Anything less would be a travesty of justice and an insult to Thelander’s family.

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Copper Theft Compromised Safety

Wire stolen cut railroad communication, crossing signal

September 13, 2007
7 comments

Pole with copper hanging More metal thefts have been reported in the metro and in one particular case, it again could have had tragic results.

Ever since the price of scrap metal has taken off, thieves have been stealing copper and aluminum, anything they can get their hands on.

Most of the easy targets have been stripped, so lately there has been a trend for more risky thefts. Thefts that endanger the crooks and compromise public safety.

“It’s not only against the law, it’s extremely unsafe,” says Mark Davis with the Union Pacific Railroad.

Someone snuck onto U.P. property at 6th and Pacific Tuesday morning, climbed the poles located along the tracks and made off with almost 5,000 feet of copper wire.

“That line there is dual purpose, not only commercial power to help with the line to serve for the signals, but also for communications in general,” says Davis. “Power the railroad signals which tells the trains when to move or not to move or the public warning device at the grade crossings.”

The line was quickly replaced, but at least for a little while, the Harriman Center couldn’t communicate with the some of the trains passing through the metro. The wire was stolen from the tracks that run parallel to I-480 in-between Vinton and Martha streets.

The disruption was minor and apparently no one was hurt, but Davis says there could have been a very different outcome. The thieves could have cut a “hot” line that supplied power to a railroad crossing signal, and endangered everyone crossing the tracks.

There’s also the issue of the personal risk the thieves took. “Very unsafe because you never know when these lines are going to be charged with power,” says Davis. “It could be very little power, it could be high voltage.”

When they’re caught, they’ll face felony theft charges. The U.P. works closely with local law enforcement, but they also send agents in undercover with video cameras. The railroad is serious about catching these people.

Last month, thieves stole about $20 worth of copper gas and water lines from an Onawa, Iowa house owned by Earl Thelander.

“The copper tubing had been cut down and the subjects had cut the copper tube on the furnace which allowed all the propane to be inside the residence,” says Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt.

Thelander was burned over 40% of his body when a fan sparked that propane, causing an explosion. The 80-year-old Thelander died several days later.

Those responsible for the theft have not been caught. Anyone with information about that theft is asked to call the Monona County Sheriff’s Department at 712-433-2525.

Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of the station.

Posted by: Fitzy Location: Omaha
Why not go ahead and make it attempted murder when someone steals copper piping from a residence or copper wire from any type of signal/power wire. That is effectively what it is. Is it going to take another innocent person getting blown up or perhaps a whole family before authorities step up the efforts to stop the thieves from ripping people off? How rediculous and lawless is this place gonna get? If it’s not murder, shootings, stabbings, beatings….its thieves taking coppper gas pipes, steel siding, or whatever…The police need to be doing more all accross the board in my oppinion to stop this stuff. What a nightmre.

Posted by: Brian Location: Omaha
I moved here from California and out there to sell scrap metal or aluminum you have to have a valid ID or drivers license and they track how much in poundage and volume that you are selling to them. Isn’t there some kind of setup like this here or is it just see no evil, hear no evil here. Come on there has got to be a way to track these people and bring justice to those that are doing this for the quick buck.

Posted by: Good Question Location: Omaha
The government should require DNA samples from anyone selling more than 5 feet of copper wire. We need more laws to protect us! It’s for the children!

Posted by: TA Location: Iowa
If you need money. GET A JOB. Quit stealing you no good idiots.

Posted by: Anonymous Location: omaha
Are the police going after the scrap dealers in connection with this? Why not make scrap metal as hard to buy as cold medicine now adays? simple solutions to stuff like this, fingerprint and i.d. everyone that comes in to sell something. How hard is it to have a system set up to cross reference people selling scrap to different scrap yards?

Posted by: Concerned Location: NE
I’d like to know who is “buying” the copper wire that these crooks are taking. We have to start somewhere – where are these being sold to? scrapyards? on the internet? The way it sounds is the theives are looking to score a quick buck by selling the copper for a fraction of what it’s worth – so, my question is ‘where the heck are they turning the copper into cash at?? Why can’t there be some kind of stake out at the places the copper is being taken to. 5,000 feet of copper wire has got to catch someone’s attention. If these are just punk kids stealing it then selling it – why are the buyers asking more questions. I sure hope some justice comes for Thelander’s case. I can’t imagine a few bucks is worth a life. Someone has to know something (or suspect something) – people need to step up and start asking questions and demanding answers. How about just banning the purchase of ‘scrap copper’?? Or knocking the ‘scrap’ copper price low enough that it’s not worth stealing anymore?

Posted by: Tatjana Location: Omaha
We need to make selling metal more difficult and only available to registered professionals. Registering sellers is a good start but evidently has not stopped thieves.