A house on Oakland’s Lakeview Drive exploded Thursday afternoon, injuring a man and scattering debris across the neighborhood, officials said.
The Oakland Fire Department said it received a report of the blast around 3:40 p.m. The State Fire Marshal’s Office also responded.
A middle-aged man was inside the home at the time of the explosion. He was taken to Thayer Hospital in Waterville and later flown by LifeFlight to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Authorities have not released information about his condition.
“There was one person inside the house at the time, everyone else has been accounted for,” Oakland Fire Chief David Coughlin said. “No other injuries that I am aware of at this time. There was a lot of activity around when we arrived, a lot of people out and about, but no other injuries at this time.”
A neighbor who witnessed the blast said he ran toward the home barefoot to try to help. Dylan Inman said debris covered the road when he arrived.
“I looked to my right and I saw what I believed to be somebody’s couch 60 feet up in the air and it was really scary. I had no time to think, without shoes on I just ran down to see if I could help,” he said.
Power was knocked out on Lakeview Drive, and Central Maine Power crews worked at the scene to restore service.
Coughlin said the home was destroyed and nearby houses were damaged. “There is a pretty substantial debris field and damage to houses on either side as well from the explosion,” he said.
Fire officials said they expect Lakeview Drive to remain closed through Thursday night. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. Officials will be on site on Friday to do further research.
