Father, Son Die In Pipeline Explosion Near Dixon

NACHUSA, IL — A 59-year-old man and his 30-year-old son died Tuesday morning when a natural gas pipeline exploded on the family's farm near Dixon, Illinois. The Lee County Sheriff's office identified the men as Rory Miller of Amboy and son Ryan Miller of Oregon, Illinois.

Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said farm workers were installing field tile when a tractor pulling tiling plow became stuck Tuesday morning on the property near state Route 38 and Nachusa Road. Another tractor was used to try to free the vehiclee and "at (that) time, the second tractor began to lose traction," Simonton said. The vehicle accidentally struck a natural gas pipeline, causing a large explosion that engulfed the field, he said.

Rory and Ryan Miller were found dead at the scene, the sheriff said. The father and son were killed at M&R Farms, owned by Rory Miller, his wife Kathy and partners Mark and Gloria Nusbaum, according to SaukValley.com.

Two other people were transported to a nearby hospital by area residents who rushed to help, according to Simonton. They were later transferred to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. One individual is in critical but stable condition, and the other is in stable condition, Simonton said.

SaukValley.com identified the injured men as Michael Koster, 20, of Sterling, and Kyler Ackland, 20, of West Brooklyn.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with these four individuals and their families," the sheriff said during a press conference on Wednesday.

In addition to sharing a love of farming, Rory and Ryan Miller were both CPAs and worked during tax season for Wipfli Inc. in Dixon, SaukValley.com reported. Rory is survived by wife Kathy and daughter Kelsey Firkins of St. Peters, Missouri. Ryan is survived by wife Jill and daughters Madelyn, who turns 4 on Dec. 17, and 11-month-old Morgan.

Visitation for the father and son is slated for 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at New Life Lutheran Church in Sterling and 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday prior to the start of funeral services.

SaukValley.com reported that the pipeline is owned by Kinder Morgan, which issued a statement Wednesday saying they were unaware of the field work on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, a required one-call notification was not provided to the company prior to the work being performed," the company said.

The fire resulting from the explosion was reportedly extinguished at around 1:15 p.m., about four hours after the incident, when Kinder Morgan turned off the gas. Route 38 near the scene remained closed until after 3 p.m., according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Simonton said the incident remains under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police and Illinois State Fire Marshal.

The explosion is the latest recent family tragedy near Dixon. Two days before Thanksgiving,a family of six — including four children — died in a house fire in nearby Lost Nation.

Image via Shutterstock