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Wendy Reuer, Owatonna People’s Press via AP

Fire and rescue personnel work to secure the scene after a garage holding fireworks exploded near Claremont, Minn., Thursday.

Harrison (Jim) Freeman, 72, was seriously burned — 12 years after an explosion at another fireworks factory he owned killed a woman.

An explosion at a fireworks manufacturing building in rural Dodge County seriously burned a Kasson, Minn., man Thursday, about 12 years after an explosion at another fireworks factory he owned killed a woman.

Harrison (Jim) Freeman, 72, was taken by helicopter to the burn unit at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was in critical condition Thursday night. He was the only person inside the building at the time.

Neighbors said they were used to the sound of crackling fireworks coming from the shed where Freeman stored and manufactured fireworks in Ripley Township, about 15 miles southeast of Owatonna. Over the last few years, neighbors had contacted local, state and federal authorities to voice their concerns about safety at the facility.

Then Thursday, when the pop of fireworks was followed by a succession of booms, Freeman’s next-door neighbor, Sid Schroeder said the first thought that ran through her mind was, "It’s finally happened."

Her husband, Kerry Schroeder, was outside getting ready to go pheasant hunting when the explosion blew him off his feet.

"He heard the fireworks and the next thing he heard was crackling in the shed, and then all the powder just blew up," Sid Schroeder said. "It was like a cannon."

Dodge County Sheriff Gary Thompson said his office and the state Fire Marshal are investigating the accident, which was called in to authorities around 2:25 p.m.

"We hadn’t had any involvement at that property," Thompson said. "From my understanding, the [federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] had been out there early on."

Schroeder said agents for the ATF had visited the property last summer and measured the distances between the shed where the fireworks were manufactured, a garage on the property and a semi-trailer that was used as a powder storage bunker. Freeman didn’t live on the property, but he came there often and set off fireworks, Schroeder said.

"The ATF regulates him and they said he was fine," Schroeder recalled. "His powder storage had to be 500 feet from the nearest house."

The accident that killed Rhonda S. Buck, 42, of West Concord, Minn., 12 years ago happened at Freeman Fireworks Forever, a business owned by Freeman, which was about 20 miles west of Rochester. The state Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the explosion was an accident but Freeman was cited by the state Labor and Industry Department and fined $36,750. At the time, Freeman said he would contest the citations and fines.

The citations said that Freeman’s business failed to store, handle and transport fireworks in a safe manner; failed to develop specific written instructions for dealing with volatile chemicals, and failed to develop a written compilation of safety information on hazardous chemicals. Buck was wearing a nylon snowsuit while she handled flash powder and was using a plastic bucket with a metal handle as a scoop. Workers mixing explosive powders should wear cotton clothing that doesn’t create static electricity, according to the state Occupational Safety Division.

Ripley Township Chairman Gene Hallaway said that even though neighbors had complained about Freeman’s current fireworks operation to township officials, there was nothing they could do. Freeman bought the property before the township passed planning and zoning rules that prohibited explosive operations, Hallaway said.

"I don’t know if we can stop him from rebuilding,” he said. "But personally, I hope we can."

Staff writer Mary Lynn Smith and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Lora Pabst • 612-673-4628

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