Castleton, VT – Firefighters said a propane leak caused an explosion that knocked a house off its foundation on Monday.
Fire Chief Heath Goyette said the blast at 2870 Route 30 North extinguished itself, so there was no fire, but still did severe damage, blowing out several windows.
“It was a camp-type house sitting up on cement piers and it knocked some of the piers over,” he said.
Goyette said two people were home at the time of the blast, just before 3 p.m.
“I can’t believe nobody got hurt, but they were in the right spot, I guess,” he said.
The house had an underground line from an outside tank, and Goyette said it appeared a leak in the tank filled the crawl space with propane. He said he thought the water pump may have ignited it somehow, but characterized that as a guess.
Goyette said the house would need repairs before it was habitable and that he contacted the American Red Cross to find shelter for its residents.