‘A tragic day’: Woman killed, 11-year-old girl hospitalized after house explosion in New Hampshire

DERRY, N.H. — An elderly woman is dead and a juvenile female was rushed to the hospital after a house explosion in a New Hampshire town.

According to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office, emergency crews responded to a home on Goodhue Road in Derry on Thursday around 11:40 a.m. for an explosion

Officials say an elderly woman was found dead in the home and a juvenile female was transported to an area hospital and then a Boston hospital for treatment.

The name of the deceased person is not being released at this time. Fire officials confirmed the elderly woman and the juvenile are related and that they were the only two people inside the home at the time of the explosion.

Gina Lubrun, a neighbor, tells Boston 25 News she ran outside when she heard the explosion.

“It was just a big boom,” said Lubrun.

She told her two sons to stay inside while she sprinted towards the collapsed home. Outside, she says a girl was screaming for help.

Lubrun added, “She just kept saying her grandmother is in the house.”

She told Boston 25 Thursday evening that she rode in the ambulance with the young girl and contacted her mother who later met them at the hospital.

“She kept asking about Gram,” said Lubrun. “I kept telling her, ‘There are people on the scene. They’ll do what they can to help find Gram.’”

Labrent and other neighbors assisted the girl in calling 911 and consoled her as the chaos unfolded.

Derry NH house explosion cell video

Although the incident remains under investigation, the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office says a tree fell on top of a few propane tanks near the home, which may have triggered the explosion.

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Derry NH house explosion

None of the surrounding houses in the neighborhood were affected by the blast.

Derry Fire Chief Shawn Haggert says arriving crews were hindered slightly by the weather conditions and that they are still on scene putting out hot spots. The home is mostly collapsed and considerable debris is in the immediate blast zone.

“It’s certainly a tragic day,” Chief Haggert said. “We’d ask that everyone keeps the family in their thoughts during this difficult time.”

The family told Boston 25 that the 11-year-old girl is still being treated at a Boston hospital for serious burn injuries.

According to a GoFundMe page for the family, the girl escaped through a hole in the foundation of the home.

No further information was immediately available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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