WALDOBORO – The State Fire Marshal's Office has released the cause of a house explosion and subsequent fire in Waldoboro that left two Massachusetts men badly injured with serious burns, Thursday, June 14.

Unbeknownst to Robert Keefe, 59, and his 28-year-old son, Ryan Keefe, both from Dracut, Massachusetts, propane was leaking from an unidentified appliance within the house, according Sgt. Joel Davis of the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The two men were working in the basement of 1838 Dutch Neck Road, opening up the house for the summer, when one of them turned on a dryer, according to a news release from Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“The force knocked the house off its foundation, and the men escaped through a basement window​,” according the news release.

Both men are being treated at Maine Medical Center.

The house burned to the ground.

WALDOBORO – Two individuals suffered severe burns when the house they were in exploded Thursday night.

At 8:28 p.m., Thursday, June 14, Waldoboro Fire Department and departments from three additional towns received the initial report of an explosion at 1838 Dutch Neck Road.

Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer arrived on scene and found the residence fully involved and two individuals with severe burns outside the residence, according to a news release.

“Due to the severity of the explosion, and the extensive fire damage, the home was a total loss,” he said in the release.

Homeowner Robin Pancygrau, of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, was not at the Waldoboro residence at the time of the explosion. The two patients, who are friends of Pancygrau, were inside the residence at the time of the explosion and were later transported from the scene to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta by ambulance.

Investigators from the state fire marshals office responded to the scene and will return Friday morning to continue their investigation.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.