'Traumatized': Sheboygan County resident says gas explosion damaged his home

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Residents in Sheboygan County are still reeling from the massive gas explosion that could be felt from miles away.

"Nobody ever expected this to happen,” said Glen Tackes, whose home was damaged from the explosion.

When Tackes stands in his backyard in the Town of Mitchell, he can see crews surrounding the natural gas line the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office says was ruptured by an excavation crew. The sheriff's office says it happened Friday afternoon, causing an explosion that injured four people.

"It ruptured and caused all kinds of issues for the community here,” said Tackes.

Tackes has lived along Trio Lane for 25 years. He says his ex-wife was at his home with his two dogs at the time of the explosion.

"Traumatized," said Tackes. "She thought the house was going to fall over. The explosion just shook the whole house.”

Tackes' home, along with around 60 others, had to be evacuated. He says once he was able to get back into his home, it wasn’t the same.

“I’ve got foundation damage, broken windows, roof damage, cracked ceilings, cracked windows,” said Tackes.

He says his insurance estimates the damage from the gas explosion to cost him upwards of $20,000.

“Shocked, because from where the explosion was, I didn’t think it would cause that much damage to the house,” said Tackes.

In addition to the damage, he says the gas smell continues to linger.

"You can smell it occasionally, depending on which way the wind is blowing.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says they have opened an investigation into this incident and have six months to complete it. OSHA says they can't provide any more details at this time.