MOULTONBOROUGH, N.H. (AP) -- Investigators found the body of a young girl Sunday after a series of explosions destroyed a three-story house, jolting a lakeside neighborhood and injuring six family members.
Authorities said Sunday that the fire was started by propane gas and that the home's propane tank had ruptured.
Investigators were working to find out if the tank was involved in the initial blast, or was damaged and exploded afterward, fire marshal's investigator William Clark said.
Neighbors along Lake Winnipesaukee said the house was engulfed in flames after the first explosion, which was followed by one involving the propane tank in front of the home. A gas grill appeared to have caused a third, smaller explosion, neighbors said.
``It was an unbelievable explosion. It was terrible,'' said Paul Sampson, who saw the fire Saturday night from a house across a cove. ``The house was an incredible inferno.''
Sampson said he and two others rushed to the burning home where they found the injured family members, including grandparents, parents and two children. Sampson said he led the family to another neighbor's house for first aid before they were taken to a hospital.
Sampson also said family members told him their youngest daughter was missing.
Police Chief Scott Kinmond said the child's body was found in the rubble of the home Sunday morning.
The victims were three generations of the same family, apparently staying at the home for the long holiday weekend, Kinmond said. He said five of the six were treated for cuts and bruises and released. A sixth was still hospitalized Sunday.
Moultonborough is about 40 miles north of Concord.
