A couple have been forced to watch their home of nearly 30 years undergo demolition after an agricultural worker mistakenly dumped a staggering 150 gallons of diesel into their basement . Brent Merriman and Michele Lowary were horrified when the unidentified Pendleton Grain Growers employee unwittingly pumped the fuel into their basement in Pendleton , Oregon , late last year . Their property had used heating oil some years ago , and the driver had been confused about where to deliver the diesel , resulting in the costly mistake on November 24 , a PGG spokesman said at the time . Within seconds of the incident , diesel had seeped into the flooring of the basement and destroyed items in the room , while strong , dangerous fumes had permeated the air surrounding the property . Couple : Brent Merriman and Michele Lowary ( pictured together ) have been forced to watch their home of nearly 30 years undergo demolition after 150 gallons of diesel was mistakenly dumped into their basement . Now demolished : The couple were horrified when a Pendleton Grain Growers employee unwittingly pumped the fuel into the basement of their home ( pictured before the demolition ) in Pendleton , Oregon , late last year . One of couple 's cats , which was caught up in the diesel , had to be taken to a veterinarian for help , while officials fixed ventilation tubes through the windows of the basement , Union-Bulletin reported . At the time , Mr Merriman , 58 , said he was worried the house he had owned for 28 years may have to be demolished because of the spill , which also led to safety concerns over the diesel 's flammability . And now , his fears have come true after he and his partner were forced to watch workers in two excavators smash their beloved home and drop large chunks of it into a semitrailer . Mr Merriman , who is now renting a house across the street with Ms Lowary , told the East Oregonian newspaper that the materials filled two trailer loads on Thursday , the first day of the demolition . Affected : One of couple 's cats ( thought to be the one pictured ) , which was caught up in the diesel , had to be taken to a veterinarian for help , while officials fixed ventilation tubes through the windows of the basement . In need of help : In January , Ms Lowery posted a message to her Facebook friends , saying that she and Mr Merriman were looking for a home for their two adopted cats after 'losing our house due to a diesel spill ' The agricultural co-op 's insurance is covering the cost of demolishing the home and building a new , larger one there . Rebuilding , however , will not start until the site is tested for contamination . Following the diesel spill last November , the PGG spokesman said the company would work with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and contractors to clean up the mess . She added that it would take steps to make sure such a mistake is not repeated in the future . In January , Ms Lowary posted a message to her Facebook friends , saying that she and Mr Merriman were looking for a home for their two adopted cats after 'losing our house due to a diesel spill ' . Looking ahead : PGG 's insurance is covering the cost of demolishing the home and building a new one there for Mr Merriman ( left ) and Ms Lowary ( right ) . Rebuilding will start after the site is tested for contamination . Their now-demolished property was situated in Northwest Furnish Ave. On his Facebook page , Mr Merriman is listed at an engineering specialist at the Oregon Department of Transportation . The incident in November was the second diesel spill at a Pendleton home in less than a year . A semi crashed March 1 , 2014 , on Highway 37 , about a mile-and-half north of the city . Its trailer broke off , landed in a gully and spilled 5,000 gallons of diesel near a 109-year-old farm home . That led to the removal of 20,000 cubic feet of earth , and the demolition of the old house .
Brent Merriman and Michele Lowary 's beloved home has been torn down . Agricultural co - op employees had dumped 150 gallons of fuel into gasoline . gasoline seeped into flooring , affected their cat and left strong fumes in air . Couple 's house burned heating oil some years ago , co - op spokesman said . Driver was ' confused where to deliver diesel , resulting in costly mistake ' Pendleton - based diesel 's client is slated for demolition and rebuilding .