BATH, Maine — A powerful explosion turned a two family house into rubble Tuesday, killing a woman, hurting four others and showering the neighborhood with debris.
Fire investigators zeroed in on the propane heating system, seeking to determine if a gas leak caused the single story brick duplex to blow up and catch fire shortly after 5 a.m., said Sgt. Ken Grimes of the state fire marshal’s office.
The blast flattened the building, awakened neighbors and scattered debris around the neighborhood. Windows were blown out of some homes, and some residents fled in their pajamas to get away from the fire.
“I heard the boom and looked out the window. There was no house and debris falling everywhere and a fire,” said Rashell Alfaisalawi, who lives fewer than 100 feet away.
A woman’s body was recovered shortly before noon and taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification. A woman lived in one of the side-by-side units, but officials couldn’t be certain that she was the victim.
A man who works at a Mc-Donald’s restaurant lived in the other unit and had left for work about 30 minutes before the blast, police said.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/13/2013