4 Hurt Trying to Stop Propane-Blast Suicide
A powerful propane explosion inside a house seriously burned four police officers as they tried unsuccessfully to keep a man from killing himself early Thursday.
The blast blew one officer through a window and dropped him 50 feet away, and another was flung through a wall. All four officers were hospitalized in critical condition.
The suicide victim, Bill Samuels, 42, apparently released propane in his boarding room after stuffing sheets under the door.
“It blew the roof off the house and blew the house off its foundation by eight inches,” said Police Lt. Dale Treece.
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