2 children killed in house explosion identified, both under age 10

DEFIANCE, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – Two children were killed when a house exploded in Missouri on Friday morning.

Officials said the explosion happened just before 7:45 a.m. at a home in the small town of Defiance, about 40 miles west of St. Louis. The area is part of Missouri’s wine country and is popular with tourists.

Two children and three adults were inside the home at the time of the explosion, which then erupted into a massive fire.

The adults were able to make it outside as first responders arrived at the home, but they were trying to get back inside to rescue the children.

“They tried getting the boys and they couldn’t, it’s just devasting,” resident Sharon Oberlag told KMOV.

Firefighters said they arrived within minutes of the first 911 call and found a very “hectic and chaotic scene.”

Sadly, both children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Both were under the age of 10.

Photos from the scene show the single-story home destroyed and nearby vehicles also damaged.

A GoFundMe page for the family identified the children as Jamison and Julian Keiser.

The fundraiser shared that the family is one of the “cornerstone families” of the close-knit small town.

“Not only will the family need to pay for two funerals, they lost their house and all of their possessions,” the page reads. “If you ever met the boys at the Defiance Roadhouse, the Christmas Festival or the St. Patty’s Day parade you will never forget their enthusiasm for life and the joy they brought to all around them.”

Authorities have not identified the cause of the explosion as of Friday afternoon.

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