OCONOMOWOC, Wis. -- An Oconomowoc man is suing after an explosion destroyed his rented home and leveled a church.

Tim Lemieux is suing Dorner Incorporated and WE Energies for $1 million each after a ruptured gas pipe triggered the April 2008 explosion.

Lemieux said he and his family lost a lot of valuable family heirlooms because of the explosion, which occurred on Wisconsin Avenue and Worthington Street.

"You know stuff that's been passed down through generations, you know, and it's gone, you know, it's just gone,” he said. Dorner caused the gas pipe rupture while digging during its highway reconstruction project. The company will finish the job this week.

After the explosion, Dorner was fined $4,200 for exposing its employees to underground pipes, and another $3,000 for not ordering its workers out of the area after natural gas was detected.

Lemieux went to the Waukesha County Court house Tuesday in preparation for the lawsuit.

"I just don't want them rolling out of town and thinking everything is OK," he said.

Lemieux said he did get an insurance settlement for many of his material losses, but he contends nothing has covered the pain the explosion has caused him and his family.

Seven months later, just a couple of no trespassing signs stand in the now empty lot.

Dorner and WE Energies said they will not comment because the lawsuit has not actually been filed.