GENOA -- Bryon Ronnfeldt, 43, of Genoa, survived a Saturday evening explosion and fire but suffered smoke inhalation. He was released Tuesday from the local hospital.
He said he was trying to cope with the drama of it, and that the incident is on his mind every minute of the day. The fire killed a Genoa man and boy.
The other survivor of the blast and fire that destroyed a a two-story, wood-frame farmhouse one-half mile southwest of Genoa, Tina Osantowski, 40, was not injured in the incident.
The victims, Tracy Holmstedt, 49, and Ricardo “Ricky” Osantowski, 14, were killed when a motorcycle they were working on in the basement of their home backfired and ignited the explosion.
The male survivor and Tina Osantowski, who lived at the home, were in the basement stairway and were blown upstairs during the explosion, according to information released by the sheriff’s office.
The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire’s cause. Genoa, Fullerton, Monroe, Silver Creek and St. Edward firefighters responded to the blaze.
Donations for the Holmstedt and Osantowski families can be made at Genoa National Bank: P.O. Box 607, Genoa National Bank, Genoa, NE., 68640.
Freewill donations are also being collected for the families in the office of Fullerton National Bank.
Funeral services for Holmstedt and Osantowski have been set for 2 p.m. Friday at Augustana Lutheran Church in Genoa.
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