CLINTON TWP. — Pennsylvania State Police investigators believe a failure involving one of several propane cylinders outside a home may have caused Thursday morning’s explosion and fire at Elk Lake that destroyed three homes and damaged several others.

According to a public information release issued by Trooper Jeffrey Winters of the Pennsylvania State Police Fire and Explosives Unit, the explosion occurred around 10:30 a.m. June 11 at a residence on Sensentine Road in the Elk Lake section of Clinton Township. State police were requested to assist Waymart-area fire departments with determining the origin and cause of the blast.  

Investigators said three people were inside the home when the explosion occurred. An 84-year-old woman told troopers she was in her kitchen when the blast happened and part of the residence collapsed. She reported that her 63-year-old son was upstairs at the time, but debris blocked the stairway, preventing her from reaching him. She instructed him to escape through a window, and he climbed onto the roof before jumping to the ground.

The woman’s husband was on the porch when the explosion occurred and was able to safely escape. Once outside, the family observed propane tanks near the residence engulfed in flames and the home burning, according to investigators.

The fire ultimately destroyed the family’s residence and two neighboring homes. Additional homes along the lake sustained damage from the explosion and ensuing fire. Earlier reports from emergency responders indicated as many as nine homes may have been damaged.  

All three occupants were transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton for treatment.

State police said preliminary findings indicate one of several 100-pound propane cylinders located outside the home may have failed, causing a propane leak that subsequently ignited. Investigators believe two additional propane cylinders exploded during the fire.  

The investigation remains ongoing.