Two people were flown to a hospital after a house on Block Island collapsed with five people inside following an apparent explosion on Saturday.
Police in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, say they started receiving calls around 7:40 p.m. after people on the island reported hearing a "loud noise" come from a home on West Beach Road, according to NBC affiliate WJAR.
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WATCH HEREFirst responders arrived on scene to find a severely damaged home with three people trapped inside, WJAR reported.
“Material from one side of the building came in, across the room and pinned individuals into the kitchen area," Block Island Volunteer Fire Chief Chris Hobe said. "We had a refrigerator on top of a woman, we had a China closet, etcetera, all this stuff on top of people."
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SIGN UP It took about 45 minutes for first responders to safely remove everyone from the home, according to WJAR. Two people were treated at the Block Island Medical Center being flown in a Coast Guard helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital.
One person suffered a broken femur, while another sustained second-degree burns, WJAR reports. Both are expected to survive, according to Block Island Police Chief Paul Deane.
The State Fire Marshal's Office was on Block Island Sunday morning to investigate and determined that the explosion was caused by propane, WJAR reports.
The homeowners reportedly called the propane company on Memorial Day weekend after noticing they did not have propane, and they were told their tank was off. When they returned for Father's Day weekend, they went to turn on the propane, causing an explosion to occur involving an unsecured propane line underneath the home, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office.
