The owner of a rural Bellvue kennel was burned in a flash fire, but all the animals escaped unharmed.It happened around 11 A.M. Tuesday at Mississippi Ridge Kennels. Fifty-six-year-old Jim Kettman, the owner of the kennel was in the process of putting paint thinner on the floor to remove old paint when the vapors from the thinner were ignited by a pilot light on a water heater.
Ketteman tried to get out of the building, but had some trouble getting the door open. He sustained burns to his arms, hands and face. Ketterman was taken to a Dubuque hospital and then transferred to the burn unit at University Hospitals in Iowa City. Damage to the kennel was estimated at 30-thousand dollars. No dogs were injured. Kettman is the brother of Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettman.