On a sunny Friday morning on Dec. 11, 1998, a construction crew was installing fiber-optic cable near the Stearns County courthouse in downtown St. Cloud when they struck a natural gas line, triggering a leak.
About 40 minutes later, a massive explosion destroyed six buildings, including a pizza restaurant, bar, apartment units and a law office.
Four people were killed, including two Northern States Power Co. workers, an apartment tenant and a postal worker on her lunch break. Eleven others were injured, one seriously.
The explosion shook the busy downtown and left one block looking like a war zone, with piles of debris and clouds of dust. Eventually, the tragedy also led to changes in state law and safety improvements.