Propane leaking from heating unit blamed for Mass. condo blast that killed 1 worker, hurt 7

Propane leak blamed for fatal blast at Mass. condo

NORFOLK, Mass. — Fire investigators say a propane leak from a basement heating unit was the cause of a deadly explosion at a condominium under construction in Massachusetts.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said Wednesday that damage to the heating unit was consistent with an explosion and heat from a propane-fueled fire. Coan says investigators ruled out an underground propane storage tank as the source of the leak.

Three workers were seriously injured in the blast last Friday, and one later died. Two firefighters and three other people were also hurt.

Coan says an inspection of other propane units at The Village at River’s Edge in Norfolk also revealed a small leak at a tank fueling an occupied building at the development. He says that tank has been emptied and repaired.