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About 40 people were in the Greater Nashua Mental Health
facility when someone called 911 to report an odor of gas, State
Fire Marshall Sean Toomey said. Firefighters were still
investigating when the explosion happened and part of the
building began to collapse, said Nashua Fire Chief Steve Buxton.
He said the three injured firefighters were taken to a hospital
with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident prompted authorities to send an alert to nearby
homes and businesses telling people to extinguish any burners or
flames and to prepare to evacuate.
Jesci Larochelle said she was in her living room watching TV,
less than a half mile from the fire, and felt her house shake
like a tree had fallen on it. She began checking the house for
damage when she received the alert, she said in a text message.
Nashua is in southern New Hampshire, about 45 miles (72
kilometers) north of Boston. The center, which provides
substance misuse services and services for deaf and older
adults, is on a busy stretch of road in a heavily commercial
area.
The blast appeared to have obliterated at least part of the
building, with aerial footage from WCBV-TV showing flames and
smoke billowing from the rubble. Bits of wreckage appeared to be
scattered in the snow and a parking lot in front of the
facility.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Nashua native, said she had been briefed on
the explosion and offered thanks to the “heroic efforts” by
firefighters and first responders.
The blast comes amid a lengthy cold spell in the Northeast, and
Buxton said the weather hampered efforts to get water to the
flames. A natural gas leak and explosion at a Pennsylvania
nursing home late last year killed three people and injured
others, prompting lawsuits and an ongoing federal investigation.
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