Courtesy: Chief Phil Tirrell
Courtesy: Chief Phil Tirrell
Courtesy: Chief Phil TirrellTOWNSHEND, Vt. -
An explosion in Townshend leveled a house Wednesday morning.
Fire crews from multiple departments responded to 58 Grafton Road just before 3 a.m., finding the house in shambles. No one was injured in the blast, but it is believed two cats died.
Investigators say the homeowner, who was vacationing out of state at the time of the explosion, had smelled propane in the house for the last several weeks. But investigators are still trying to determine the cause.
"We have an electrical storm last night, too. There was a lot of lightning in the air. So you really can't rule it out. And electrical storm could have hit the propane tank," Townshend Fire Chief Douglas Winot said. "The road was completely closed for several hours. The front door to the house is 100 feet from where it is supposed to be."
A dentist's office next to the house was also damaged in the blast. A structural analysis will be conducted before it can be reopened.
