FREEPORT, Maine — An explosion that rattled the town of Freeport on Friday morning has sent one person to the hospital with serious injuries.
The single explosion is believed to have been caused when a cylinder of flammable gas was punctured shortly before 9 a.m. at Dave's Junkyard, also the location of D.A.B. Used Auto Sales Inc. on Allen Range Road, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Thomas Pickering said.
The 60-year-old man who was operating an excavator was brought by Freeport Fire Rescue to Maine Medical Center with serious injuries, with burns to his hands and face, Pickering said. No other injuries were reported at the time.
"The explosion resulted in substantial damage to the excavator the victim was operating, as well as damage to adjacent buildings and equipment," Freeport Fire Department Deputy Chief Scott Smith said in a news release issued Friday afternoon.
A small fire broke out, but it was extinguished.
The explosion was felt for miles, causing some reported but minor damage to windows of nearby homes, Freeport Police Department spokesperson Jarred Hinton told NEWS CENTER Maine.
The explosion is being investigated by the Maine fire marshal's office, and an investigator from OSHA also responded to the scene.
Schools in Freeport were operating as normal, RSU 5 Superintendent told NEWS CENTER Maine.
Agencies that responded to the incident included Freeport Fire Rescue, the Freeport Police Department, and the Brunswick Fire Department. Yarmouth Fire and Rescue provided station coverage for Freeport during the call.
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