DES MOINES, Iowa - The house explosion early Friday morning in Des Moines was felt as much as a mile away, and blew out the windows of a church two blocks away.
The Church at Union Park Team Pastor Wes Foster tells WHO-TV 13 that the stained glass windows that were a significant piece of their church history.
Now, church members are deciding how to temporarily fix the open windows.
“We got service Sunday morning. We’ll probably board them up at this point,” Foster said. But, long term, Foster says he doesn't know.
"Do we want to replace them? You know, how do we replace them? Because again, it's like you’re replacing memories from people who've been here for decades and decades,” Foster said.
Reports of damage from as much as a mile away are being reported according to the Des Moines Fire Department.
“The city building officials came down and said that the two houses next to the explosion were condemned. So they can no longer get back in those houses,” Des Moines Fire Department Lieutenant Chris Bolton reports.
Several other neighbors' homes will need repairs, but no one was seriously hurt. Two residents had minor bumps and bruises trying to get out of their severely damaged home.
A WHO-TV 13 Drone screenshot (below) shows nothing but rubble left at the site of the explosion, and the extensive damage to the nearest home.