An electrical fire and nearby propane leak sparked an explosion at a Route 120 hotel that sent 10 people to the hospital early Tuesday morning, according to fire officials.
“The preliminary examination of the scene revealed an electrical fire in a mechanical room on the first floor of the hotel,” N.H. Fire Marshal Paul J. Parisi and Lebanon Fire Chief Chris Christopoulos said in a news release issued Thursday afternoon. “There was also an active propane leak in an adjacent room at the same time as the fire which caused the explosion.”
Firefighters responded to the Element Hotel in Lebanon around 5:15 a.m. on Christmas Eve after a fire alarm activated. Lebanon firefighter Todd Hamilton and Capt. Jeffrey Egner attempted to enter one of the utility rooms and were injured by the explosion, authorities said.
Their injuries were not life-threatening, and they were treated and released that day at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Eight hotel guests were taken to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
Fire authorities on Thursday said “the cause of the explosion does not appear to be criminal in nature and was contained to only the hotel building” at 25 Foot Hill St.
The release said the 120-room hotel suffered “a significant amount of damage” and “will remain closed for the foreseeable future.”
The incident remains under investigation, officials said.