Manchester, NH – An explosion in a utility closet inside a West Side apartment blew the door off its jamb and hurled the door of the natural gas boiler into the wall of a second apartment, according to a fire official.
Three people were home in the first floor apartment at 225 Circle Way at Countryside Village when the explosion happened just after 10:30 a.m. Monday. No one was injured. Two were in the kitchen and the third in a bedroom, both located on the opposite side of the apartment from where the explosion took place, said District Fire Chief Al Poulin.
No one was home in the other apartment that was damaged.
Jason Batchelder of Apt. 27, third floor, said he was asleep when he heard the fire alarms sound. He never heard the explosion and, in spite of the alarms blaring – which he said happens all the time – he stayed in his apartment until fire officials knocked on his door, telling him he had to get out.
As he was leaving, he said he could smell a heavy odor of gas.
Poulin said the explosion blew the utility closet door off its jamb. It was found down a hallway, he said, while the door on the gas boiler blew off as well and was impregnated into a wall across from the apartment.
Two apartments were damaged, with the heaviest damage in the utility closet housing a washer and dryer, hot water heater and the boiler.
Before anyone is allowed back inside the building, Poulin said gas lines must be evaluated to determine their integrity. Also, he said there was a heavy odor of gas from the first to the third floor so lines will have to be checked for leaks.
National Grid workers will try to isolate the problem so that some of the residents will be able to return home sooner, according to Poulin. He estimated that may happen by suppertime.
Poulin said about 22 to 25 people were home at the time of the blast, about half of the residents who live in the 28-unit, three-story apartment building.
They were evacuated and most went to the complex’ clubhouse to wait for the OK to return home. They were allowed to bring their pets with them, he said.
Poulin said tenants, in the company of a firefighter, were allowed to go into their apartments to retrieve pets and medications.
He estimated damage at $25,000.