A propane leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion that leveled a house in Oakland on Thanksgiving Day that critically injured a man, officials said on Friday.
Investigators from the Office of State Fire Marshal were still poring over the scene around 36 Lakeview Drive on Friday morning, interviewing neighbors and photographing the damage left by a massive explosion Thursday that was felt miles away.
A spokesperson for the Office of State Fire Marshal said investigators have ruled out propane tanks themselves as the cause of the explosion but are continuing to investigate several propane appliances for the cause. It’s thought a propane gas leak found an ignition source.
Cliff Hannon, 66, was the only one home at the time of the explosion.
Hannon was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Portland on Thursday night, where officials confirmed he remained in critical condition Friday afternoon. Tax records indicate that he owns the home with Dale Hannon.
Public safety officials say there is no threat to the rest of the community.
Oakland fire Chief Dave Coughlin was one of the estimated 50 first responders who responded to the scene Thursday.
“It’s Thanksgiving. Is there a family dinner? All these things were going through our minds. That’s why we requested so many resources,” said Coughlin.
Dylan Inman, who lives a few houses down with his wife, said he was smoking outside on his porch when the explosion happened. He felt it before he heard it.
“All of a sudden, the air pressure changed. The air got sucked out of my lungs. I saw the glass in my windows bend. Then there was a loud ‘Boom!’ and everything came flying off the walls,” Inman said Friday from his front porch.
Inman turned to see a column of smoke rising some 60 feet in the air. He and several others who witnessed the explosion said it resembled a mushroom cloud. Inman immediately ran over to offer help. Several other neighbors did the same. They saw just shrapnel and debris. Nothing recognizable was left of the house.
“I just watched a man’s whole life just crumble. All his dreams, hopes, aspirations, hobbies, Bibles, f—–g everything, it’s all gone. You got nothing left,” Inman said.
The explosion rattled homes up and down Lakeview Drive. Neighbors’ windows were blown out. Garage doors were shaken off their hinges. The foundations of the homes next door were rattled and will need repair, a police investigator said on the scene.
“We were home at the time. It felt like we were in a movie. It didn’t feel real,” Sam Gray, who lives next door to where the explosion occurred, said Friday.
Coughlin said that the explosion was an isolated incident and proper measures were taken by Central Maine Power and Fabian Oil to ensure the damage did not continue.
“It was quite a force,” Coughlin said.
Lakeview Drive loops off Belgrade Road and is located not far from the north end of Messalonskee lake.
The explosion was felt in towns miles away.
People on Facebook reported feeling and hearing what was described as a small earthquake in Sidney, Thorndike and Waterville. Coughlin felt it at his home 3 miles away.
Oakland Fire Department received mutual aid from Belgrade, Rome, Sidney, Smithfield, Waterville, Winslow and Fairfield fire departments.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened at any time, but to put it around the holiday and Thanksgiving. As first responders, that’s what we do. We leave our family and dinners to help anyone in need,” Coughlin said.
