Jacob Baumgart, Benjamin Rothstein

Capital Gazette

(TNS)

A woman is dead, and a man was airlifted to a hospital after a Wednesday home explosion in Cape St. Claire, officials said.

Firefighters also said they treated a police officer who suffered an injury to the leg and evaluated one resident who was trying to help before units arrived.

A vendor resupplied the house with propane about an hour before the explosion in the 1100 block of Green Holly Drive, Anne Arundel County Fire Department Assistant Chief Lawrence Schultz said. It’s unclear, however, if the refill was related to the explosion.

The propane provider who visited the home is currently unknown. The fire department is analyzing doorbell camera footage from nearby houses to identify the company.

“The tank is confirmed to be an above ground tank. It has been secured,” Lt. Erick Jones, a public information officer for the fire department, told the Capital Gazette.

Jones said fire investigators had not notified the next of kin by 5:15 p.m.

Neighbors rush to scene

James Toms’ home is about 50 yards from the house. He and his two sons, Ben and Joe, were working on deck furniture and had gone inside 10 minutes before they heard the explosion.

“All of a sudden there was this big boom,” Toms said.

Toms said his sons rushed over to help immediately, assisting first responders in holding up parts of the structure of the house so they could reach the person inside.

The elder son, Joe, went to the hospital shortly after to get checked because he inhaled dust from the insulation in the house. The whole family was due at a dinner in a few hours for the younger son, Ben, who is getting married on Saturday.

“It was a dramatic afternoon,” Toms said. “It was a bit shocking. For about three or four hours, we didn’t really know what to do with ourselves, other than talk to the local police and the emergency services.”

Toms said he often sees the man in his yard, gardening or working on refurbishing a vintage car.

‘Significant damage’

Firefighters said they were dispatched at 12:19 p.m. and arrived three minutes later, finding the second floor collapsed into the first floor.

Schultz said, “There was no fire present, just significant damage including the debris field that extends about a half a block up the street.”

“As soon as our first units arrived, the neighbors had extricated one person who was on the outside of the building,” Schultz said at a news conference. “That victim was in cardiac arrest. Our medics and firefighters worked that victim for a significant period of time until the victim was pronounced dead on the scene.”

Schultz said the other victim was found inside the home and flown to the burn unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center with significant burns. The man was still in critical condition as of early Wednesday evening, Jones said.

An urban search and rescue dog was brought to the scene to look for more people in the rubble.

As a precaution, crews evacuated the neighbors on both sides of the house and across the street, Schultz said.

Around 55 Anne Arundel County firefighters responded to the scene with mutual aid from the Annapolis and Naval Academy fire departments.

Firefighters were clearing the scene by 5:15 p.m., Jones said, adding that streets would still be shut down Wednesday night for the ATF investigation.

Green Holly Drive was closed between Ramblewood Drive and Rolling View Drive as of 3 p.m. The Anne Arundel County Police Department assisted with the road closures.

“[Officers] will remain on scene as long as the fire department needs us, and we have to keep that area secure,” said Capt. John Mahafee, of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. “They will be there to answer any questions that motorists may have and assist them in getting back in their houses as soon as possible.”

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