Propane leak was cause of Maine house explosion

Propane leak was cause of Maine house explosion

BATH, Maine (AP) — The Maine fire marshal’s office says a propane leak was to blame for a blast that leveled a two-unit apartment building and killed one person.

Fire investigators say the leak was in the wall of the unit next to one where a woman’s body was found in the rubble Tuesday in Bath. Investigators believe fumes seeped into a crawl space before being ignited from an unknown source.

The blast flattened the building, awakened neighbors and scattered debris as far as a quarter mile away. Four people were taken to the hospital.

The woman’s body has been taken to the state medical examiner’s office, which is seeking to determine her identity.