A 20-year-old woman was reportedly killed in a home explosion while reportedly housesitting for the owner in Southern Minnesota on Saturday night, authorities said.
The Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office reported that the explosion occurred in Lexington Township around 11:30 p.m. When first responders arrived at the home, they found it collapsed and burning.
The sheriff's office reported that the homeowners were reportedly out of town with the 20-year-old housesitting for them and watching their dogs.
The family has identified the woman as Kailey Mach, a student at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, WCCO-TV reported.
Mach's mother, Vicki Bettin Mach, posted to Facebook saying she is "in bitter shock" that her daughter had died in the explosion, the Star Tribune reported.
"Our hearts are shattered and mine is still numb in shock," Vicki Bettin Mach wrote, the Tribune reported. "We are asking for our time and immediate family only at this time. Fly high baby girl … you were an angel here on earth to us and we will never be the same."
Mach was found dead in the basement by authorities after the fire was extinguished. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office will be conducting an autopsy on Mach's body to determine her cause of death.
The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation by the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office and state fire marshal.
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