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WAUSAUKEE, Wis. -- Authorities are still investigating the cause of a house explosion and fire that killed an elderly couple Friday morning in the Town of Wausaukee.
The call came in just after 10:30 a.m. Friday of a residential explosion on Finnel Road, according to a news release Tuesday from the Marinette County Sheriff's Office.
The residence already was engulfed in flames when the Wausaukee Fire Department and Wausaukee Rescue arrived, along with Marinette County Sheriff's deputies.
After the fire was suppressed, a search found two bodies in the residence: 81-year-old Roger N. McClellan and 79-year-old Barbara A. McClellan, according to the news release.
An obituary posted online by Roubal Funeral Home said the couple had been married for 58 years and lived at the home and property for decades. They previously operated Roger's Service in Wausaukee, where he was a mechanic and she kept the books and handled desk duties. They also owned Just Ducky car wash. Both were born in Daggett, Mich., and graduated from Wausaukee High School. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army, including Vietnam.
They have a son, Ron McClellan; two granddaughters; and a nephew who came to live with them, according to the obituary.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the McClellan family during this difficult time," Marinette County Sheriff Randy Miller said in the news release.
The fire remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice State Fire Marshal's Office, Marinette County Sheriff's Office and the Marinette County Medical Examiner's Office.
Also assisting at the site were Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fire, Amberg Fire, Mellen Township Fire, Middle Inlet Fire, Beecher Dunbar Pembine Fire, Athelstane Fire and Crivitz Fire.