14 DAY TRIAL // An explosion at a Maine condominium complex has prompted the death of a disabled man, reports say.
66-year-old Peter Corey died in the gas blast in Yarmouth on Tuesday, June 25. He was deaf and suffered from a motor disability.
The 6:20 a.m. explosion may have involved propane, a spokesperson for the state Fire Marshal’s Office and Maine Fuel Board informs.
"This is something that will take a while for Yarmouth to move on from," Town Council chairman Steve Woods says.
According to The Press Herald, the blast caused massive damage and injured several residents of the condos. Propane was used in the heating and water systems, and it could have caused the explosion, notes State Police Spokesman Steve McCausland.
Two units incurred massive structural damage, with 50 Gables Drive being completely blown to pieces and a section of 52 Gables Drive getting obliterated.
"I think I'm lucky I didn't have my hearing aids on. [...] I could see immediately where the major impact was. I looked at No. 50 - it took it down to the foundation. It was very apparent it was an explosion from propane," adds resident Amory Houghton.
Insulation was lit on fire and debris was sent flying. Parts of floors and ceilings were completely destroyed.
"My bed went up in the air. [...] I couldn't even walk in the kitchen because chunks of the ceiling had fallen onto the floor," resident Joan Houghton describes.
The blast also broke windows and pulled out wood panels.
"It was like a bomb went off. [...] The whole front of the house, all the windows, were blown out. All the mirrors in the bathrooms flew into the hallways.
"The cabinets all opened up because the house shook so bad. [...] I've never experienced anything like this," says Anita Anderson, who lives behind the complex.