2 Killed by Blast at New Hampshire Motel
ROCHESTER, N.H. — An explosion partially destroyed a motel Friday, killing two people and shooting flames and smoke into the air.
It was not known how many people were inside the Lilac Falls Motel in this southeastern New Hampshire town near the Maine border. About 20 of the 30 units at the one-story motel were rented at the start of the Labor Day weekend, Fire Chief Mark Dellner said.
“It was just a big, bad explosion,†said Warren Blake, who was at an automobile dealership near the motel when the explosion happened about 5 p.m.
Authorities did not identify the dead, nor did they say if the victims were guests or employees at the motel.
The motel is in two sections on each side of the street. Witnesses said the explosion happened on the side with the motel office and the swimming pool.
Several witnesses said they smelled gas, though Dellner said propane tanks in the rear of the motel were not destroyed. Authorities were trying to determine what caused the explosion.
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