Surveillance video released of Motel 6 gas explosion in Bremerton; police investigate cause

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — Police say they are investigating whether a person leaving a Bremerton Motel 6 could have damaged a gas line before an explosion destroyed part of the building.

Police also released surveillance videos of the explosion Tuesday night.

Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan says they received a report of someone going out of the building, possibly by jumping out a window, near the gas meter. Detectives are checking to see if someone hopped out the window and may have damaged the line.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has called back its investigators because local officials said the gas meter likely was damaged just before the reported leak, and as a result, would not fall under its jurisdiction.


A huge gas leak explosion leveled part of the Motel 6 in Bremerton Tuesday night, seriously injuring one in a blast that could be felt for miles.

One Cascade Natural Gas employee was critically injured in the blast and was airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.

Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan said the employee suffered second- and third-degree burns and severe lacerations. They suffered a fractured spine, officials said, but had a positive prognosis.

"We're 99.0 percent sure no one is in the rubble," Bremerton fire chief Al Duke said.

Technical rescue teams and search dogs have gone through the debris and found no signs of missing individuals.



One guest previously listed as unaccounted for was found Wednesday in fine condition, officials said. One dog is missing in the area.

Police said a gas leak call came in at 7:54 p.m.  and workers were on site and guests were being evacuated when the explosion occurred at 8:24 p.m.

At least two firefighters on the scene were blown about 20 feet back when the gas line erupted. Luckily, none of the firefighters were severely injured, officials said.

Forty-two people were in the hotel at the time, but most were evacuated before the blast. Sixteen rooms were destroyed at the motel.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the explosion, and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were also investigating. Initial reports released from Cascade Natural Gas believe the leak started at the gas meter, when a pipe was ripped away.

Bremerton police officers were already at the hotel before the blast to investigate a domestic violence call. Witnesses said a woman jumped out the window during the police investigation, and may have hit the gas line, causing it to rupture.

Nearby resident Francis Blair said he could smell a strong odor of gas before the explosion and could see motel guests being evacuated. When a gas company employee pulled up in his truck, the gas exploded.

“It was like a bomb went off,” Blair said.

The fire was contained late Tuesday night, police said.

The smoldering ruble remained a "real problem" Wednesday, officials said. Duke said that though the blast was massive, he was happy it didn't occur at a different time of night.

"If it would have been at a different time of day or night, it would have been far worse," Duke said.

For information on how to check for a gas leak, click here.