A little weirdness this way comes. The Fire Chief said it was most likely a natural gas explosion. He then went onto say they didn’t yet know the cause, and might never know. Yet, the gas authorities saying there was no natural gas in the area and the nature of the explosion was not consistent with a natural gas explosion.

Given the Fire Chief’s statement, most national media will take that and stop following the story.

Yet, the description reported from a witness on the scene was an “electrical shock” that ran through the building which was reported to the police. Then an explosion which blew out the windows on the second floor.

DHS was also on the scene, investigating.

It may have been an accident, it may not have. It may have been some other kind of a gas explosion. But it’s really hard to have a natural gas explosion if there is no natural gas in the area…

Via Star Tribune:

A body was recovered Thursday afternoon from the wreckage of the three-story Minneapolis apartment building destroyed by a New Year’s Day explosion, fire officials confirmed.

“At approximately 1:55 p.m. Minneapolis Fire Department officials confirmed that one body was discovered in the structure at 516 Cedar Ave. S.,” said a statement by Assistant Fire Chief Chérie A. Penn.

Penn said the victim has been turned over to the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office. She said crews will continue to remove debris until dark and will resume their work Friday morning.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. At a news conference Thursday afternoon, the Minneapolis fire chief said the fire in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood was most likely caused by a natural gas leak.

At least 14 people were injured, six critically in the explosion and fire Wednesday that destroyed an immigrant-owned grocery store and the apartments above it. Two people were not accounted for.

Family members identified them as Mrimri Farah, said to be about 60 years old, and Ahmad Ali, 57. Ali’s ex-wife Hawo Daqare said they divorced in 2006 but continued to share parenting of their son. “I feel very bad but I cannot do anything. Imagine if you lost someone.”

She said Ali lived in Apartment No. 6 on the second floor.

Keep reading…

One other important side note to the story. U.S. Rep Keith Ellison, the only declared Muslim in Congress, is quoted in the story, saying that he had visited the mosque next door “many times” and “feels a part of the mosque”. The mosque appears to be Sharia compliant, and links to the Muslim Brotherhood and other questionable entities on its website. As a “part of the mosque”, is Mr. Ellison supportive of Sharia law?

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