First responders were dispatched to 809 S. 16th St. at 6:52 p.m. Once on scene, a Fort Dodge police officer and Fort Dodge firefighters rushed to treat the man.

“It was a significant explosion,” said Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter. “There’s damage to the outside of the house.”

Vehicles nearby did not appear damaged from the blast.

Joy Ann Stout, of Fort Dodge, said she’s the man’s girlfriend and witnessed the explosion.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Fort Dodge Police Officer Cody Harris and Fort Dodge firefighters help a man who was seriously injured in an explosion Tuesday night.

“I could see the glass go up,” Stout said. “It was black smoke and glass.”

The man was transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center before being airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Hergenreter reported the man suffered serious burns and blast injuries.

The Fort Dodge Fire Department and Fort Dodge Police Department, a Webster County sheriff’s deputy and Webster County Emergency Management, were on scene.

Explosive technicians from the State Fire Marshal’s Office will continue the investigation.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Fort Dodge Firefighter Aaron Kampman, right, comforts a bystander after an explosion seriously injured a man on South 16th Street Tuesday night.

The scene is secured and there’s no ongoing threat to neighbors, Hergenreter reported.