Historic 4-Story Building Explodes in Sierra Town

A historic four-story downtown building exploded and partially collapsed Tuesday in this scenic Sierra railroad town, killing at least one person and trapping or injuring several others, authorities said.

Judy Wells, a Truckee Fire Department spokeswoman, said rescue dogs were searching the rubble for a 4-year-old girl and another person who might have been in the century-old structure at the time of the blast. The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but it was possibly a propane leak.

Mary Luker, a spokeswoman for Tahoe Forest Hospital, said four people suffered minor injuries and were treated and released, and a fifth remained hospitalized pending further tests. Most of the injuries involved smoke inhalation, Luker said.

Wells said the explosion occurred at 2:10 p.m. in a 19th-Century Masonic lodge, a wood-and-brick structure that houses a restaurant and several offices on the town’s original Commercial Row. Many of the offices apparently were vacant, officials said.

Wells, a spokeswoman for the Truckee Fire Department, said the exterior of the building remained standing, but the interior of the structure was heavily damaged.

A propane leak might have been the cause of the blast, said Don Callahan, a Truckee Fire Protection District commissioner. He said there were reports of people smelling propane before the explosion.

Truckee is along Interstate 80 near Donner Pass, about 170 miles east of San Francisco.