Two New Hampshire firefighters were among 10 people injured in a hotel explosion that set off a three-alarm fire Tuesday.
Crews responded to the report of an explosion at around 5:15 a.m. at Lebanon's 150-room Element Hotel, WMUR-TV reports. Because his department is short-staffed, Lebanon Fire Chief Chris Christopoulos called in a third alarm, which sent a mutual response of up to 80 firefighters to the hotel.
As firefighters battled the blaze, a second blast rocked the hotel. This explosion originated from the building's mechanical room, injuring two firefighters.
"As they forced that door open, they experienced an explosion, and both those two firefighters—it was a captain and an on-duty firefighter—were injured," Christopoulos told WMUR.
The Boston Globe identified the two as firefighter Todd Hamilton and Duty Capt. Jeffrey Egner. Hamilton, who took the brunt of the blast, suffered a head injury and also broke an arm and a rib. He's expected to spend Christmas in the hospital.
Enger suffered a head injury from the explosion, but he was later released from the hospital. Eight hotel guests also suffered minor injuries.
The force of the explosion knocked down an outside hotel wall. It also bent the elevator and blew out fireproof doors.
"Based on some of the initial damage that we've seen, it looks like it may have been a gas incident," State Fire Marshal Paul Parisi told WMUR.
