Dog-Sitting College Student Dead Following Tragic House Explosion

A 20-year-old college student who was dog-sitting at the time of the tragedy reportedly died after a sudden house explosion in Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 26.

On Saturday, Feb. 26, at around 11:25 p.m., the police received a report of a loud explosion and an ongoing fire in the Lexington Township, 6 miles northeast of Le Center, in southern Minnesota. After officers responded to the scene, they found not much more than a smoking pit. Kailey Mach, 20, was later discovered dead in the basement of the home, New York Post reported.

The Le Center Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office deputies determined that the house first collapsed from the explosion and then caught fire. Homeowner Aric Holicky and his family were away at the time of the incident. The dogs that Mach was watching were also found dead.

“After the fire was extinguished, Fire Department Personal located the deceased body of a female subject in the basement,” Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason explained.

Following this, officers removed Mach's remains from the scene and transported the body to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul for an autopsy and positive identification by the family members, Daily News reported.

Mach, who graduated from Tri-City United High School in 2019, was reportedly pursuing a degree in education at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.

Mach's uncle, Tim Siebsen, said that his niece was planning to teach kindergarten.

“She worked so hard to be a teacher; she was going to graduate almost a year early,” Siebsen said. He added that she also worked as a preschool aide in her district.

“She was so loved by all of her kiddos. She was so loved by anyone that met her. She did all this while taking more than a full-time class load at Augsburg,” he said.

“She always talked about how she was going to change the world by teaching the next generation,” Mach's friend Shelby said. “She didn’t care if she was having a bad day, if you told her you were upset she wouldn’t rest until she got you to smile.”

Mach's friends and family members described her as “someone who saw the good in everyone."

“The Augsburg University community is deeply saddened by Kailey’s tragic passing this weekend,” Mach’s school said in a statement. “We offer our profound condolences to her family, friends, professors, classmates, and all who were close to her.”

Meanwhile, the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are investigating the cause of the explosion that led to Mach's death.