Firefighters pulled an injured person from the basement of a Maryland business, and two other people were hurt Tuesday morning after a propane explosion left windows dangling from the building and blew a wall into the yard, authorities said.
Firefighters found a house partially collapsed in the 23600 block of Laytonsville Road in Laytonsville, Montgomery County Fire and EMS said. The building is a historic house used as the corporate headquarters of Ruppert Landscaping.
The building blew up, trapping one person inside, fire chief Scott Goldstein and a spokesman said. Two people sustained life-threatening injuries.
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A Maryland State Police helicopter airlifted one person to a trauma center, authorities said. A second victim was rushed to a hospital via ambulance.
A third person received less serious injuries.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue said a 911 call came in about a gas leak just before 8 a.m. An employee had arrived at the building, smelled an odor of gas and called in to report it. That person also called a utility provider, which sent out a worker to the site.
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The worker was trying to address the apparent leak in the lower level when the blast somehow occurred. The blast is believed to have originated on the lower level from or near the propane tank.
Montgomery County fire spokesman Pete Piringer said the blast was caused by a propane explosion. Further information about the cause wasn’t immediately available.
There was no active fire, but the building was seriously damaged, authorities said.
A section of wall and siding was thrust away from the house, into the yard. Windows were blown out on the first floor and damaged upstairs, photos show. Debris littered the yard outside the building.
Firefighters set up a large perimeter around the house as crews tried to stabilize the building, authorities said.
"The scene is stabilizing," Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jason Blake said about an hour after reporting the blast.
The house is in a rural area near the small Davis airport, with few homes in the immediate area.
Laytonsville Road was closed between Hipsley Mill Road and Griffith Road, and significant delays were expected, Montgomery County police said.
Ruppert Landscaping has not yet put out a statement.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.
