South Londonderry, VT – A guest house in South Londonderry was leveled by an explosion and fire on Thursday. No one was injured in the blast.
The explosion appeared to be from the center of the building and spread to the rest of the house, according to the Vermont State Police.
The South Londonderry Fire Department was dispatched to West River Farm on 2793 Winhall Hollow Road at about 10 a.m., police said.
By the time they arrived, heavy smoke and fire was coming from the center of the building and had already spread to the rest of the house. Debris extended as far as 75 feet from the building.
Members of the Vermont State Police Fire and Explosion Investigative Unit responded to the scene and examined the heavily consumed remains of the house. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
The guest house was heated with propane, had a 1,000 gallon underground tank and had propane-fueled appliances, police said. Snow and ice from the roof had buried the propane gas regulator attached to the building, investigators said.
The propane provider was on the scene to determine if there were any leaks in the line to the guest house and the main house located nearby. No obvious signs of a leak were found.
Tim Dugan, of Chicago, owns the home and had visited the residence with his family last week, Fox 44 reported. A caretaker, Doug Stevens, who was not in the building at the time of the blast, has looked after the property for 14 years, according to WCAX. Stevens said he was plowing a driveway across the road when the explosion occurred.