Danville, NH – A New Hampshire couple says their lives may have been spared by their decision to go out for dinner 10 minutes before an explosion rocked their house, according to local media.
William and Susan Foster of Danville, a town in the southeast part of the state near the Massachusetts border, left for an evening meal just before the explosion Monday, according to WMUR, a TV station in nearby Manchester.
The blast, which severely damaged the 300-year-old Main Street home but caused no injuries, is suspected to have been triggered by a propane leak, Fire Chief Steve Woitkun told WMUR. Woitkun said his department had searched for victims in the house, the walls of which were bowed out. The homeowners were too upset to talk on camera, the station said.
“The whole front wall is out,” the fire chief told a reporter, “and the second floor is coming down, so it is very dangerous. I didn’t want any of my crewmembers inside, but we had to take that risk just to make sure no one was trapped if they were hurt inside.
“Furniture is blown everywhere,” he added. “I’ve never seen an explosion like this.”
The state fire marshal has been called in to investigate.