Two Madison men in their 20's were transported to UW Hospital this morning following a house explosion at 413 S. Midvale. City of Madison firefighters were dispatched to the address at 4:45 a.m. today after the homeowner called 911 to report the explosion.

When firefighters and paramedics arrived minutes later, they found all occupants out of the house. Paramedics immediately transported the two men to UW Hospital. Their parents were transported by MPD later to join their sons at the hospital.

When Engine Company 9 arrived, they noted light smoke from a chimney at the center of the house. The house had been lifted off of its foundation.

There was active fire in the basement. Engine 4 controlled the gas by shutting it down at the house. Crews from Engine 9 entered cautiously, noting the instability of the building. They worked their way to the basement to extinguish the fires. There were two areas of the basement that were extinguished. Only contents were burning.

Squad 8 was dispatched and shored up the front door. The entire front wall was pushed out about 6 inches. Once the shoring was complete, E9 returned to the area of origin to hit spot fires and overhaul some of the furniture that was still smoldering.

Personnel from Madison Gas & Electric were on scene to test for any possible leaks in the neighborhood. They found none. There was no service disruption to any other home. Both gas and electrical power were shut off to the home where the explosion occurred.

The house has sustained significant structural damage, but no damage estimate has been calculated. The cause of the blast remains under investigation.