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Grantham
GRANTHAM - A propane leak led to an explosion that killed one man and injured three others as they cleared snow from a platform tennis court, the fire marshal's office said yesterday.
Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said the leaking gas was trapped beneath the court by the snow and some kind of spark triggered the explosion Sunday afternoon.
The elevated court, located in the affluent Eastman community, has two propane units underneath it to melt snow and ice. The explosion sent the victims flying through the air, then buried them under rubble and snow.
Two men were blown over a 12-foot fence, while the two others were found under a beam and part of the tennis court, which blew out in two directions.
The dead man was identified by the police as James Owen. He was found buried under snow nearly 20 feet from the tennis court.
Robert Kessler was treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorities said. Two others, Mort Shea, 68, and Anthony Crecca, 61, were recovering at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center from broken bones and other injuries. Shea was in serious condition yesterday morning. Crecca was in fair condition.
All four were retired residents of the community and regularly played platform paddle tennis. They had volunteered to clean 20 inches of snow off the court.
Eastman is a 3,500-acre recreational community in Grantham, about 50 miles northwest of Concord.
It has a golf course, 13 tennis courts, miles of hiking trails and 30 kilometers of cross-country ski trails. The community includes more than 850 single-family homes and 336 townhouse style condominiums, with year-round and seasonal residents.
The residents include many doctors and retirees.
Tuesday, January 7, 2003