Propane blast in Maine
Debris lies scattered across a wide area in Farmington, Maine, after a propane explosion that flattened a newly constructed two-story building. The explosion occurred after firefighters arrived to investigate reports that the smell of gas had been detected at the site. A firefighter was killed and eight people were injured in the blast.
FARMINGTON, Maine — A propane explosion leveled a newly constructed building after fire crews arrived to investigate the smell of gas Monday, killing one firefighter and injuring at least eight other people, including six fellow firefighters, officials said.
The explosion shattered the two-story building that housed LEAP Inc., a nonprofit that serves people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, just a couple of months after it was finished. The blast was so powerful it blew a vehicle across an intersection and damaged nearby buildings. Paper, insulation and building debris rained on the area.
The blast killed 68-year-old Fire Capt. Michael Bell and injured his brother, Fire Chief Terry Bell; five other firefighters; a maintenance worker for LEAP; and an ambulance worker, officials said.
Four of the firefighters were in the intensive care unit at Maine Medical Center in Portland, while the maintenance worker was being treated at a hospital in Boston, officials said.
The blast hit around 8:30 a.m. in a town in western Maine, about 70 miles north of Portland.
The smell of gas was detected when the first workers arrived and the building evacuated before most workers had arrived for the day, said Scott Landry, a member of the Farmington Town Select Board.
Gov. Janet Mills — who is from Farmington and whose office said she knew the firefighter who died — said the state fire marshal’s office will investigate.
Video online at arkansasonline.com/917explosion/