An explosion demolished part of a Motel 6 in Bremerton, across Puget Sound west of Seattle, on Tuesday night – just minutes after the acting hotel manager had evacuated the building because of a gas leak.
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The injured man suffered second- and third-degree burns and was airlifted to a Seattle hospital, located across the Puget Sound from Bremerton.
“We’re certainly hoping and praying that everybody did get evacuated successfully, but we can’t confirm for sure yet that that occurred”, he said.
Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan said one employee of the Cascade Gas Company was critically injured in the blast.
Several people said their life’s possessions were in the motel at the time.
Crews responded to a report of a gas leak at the Motel 6, just off Kitsap Way. He was watching TV with his wife Tuesday night when he heard a loud explosion.
The explosion rained debris over a large area, covering the parking lot and reportedly shattering windows to nearby homes.
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“I pulled the alarm and started corralling people away from the building”, Hinds said.
