ELK LAKE, PA — The cause of a fire that burned three houses to the ground around Elk Lake on June 11 is still under investigation, an incident that resulted in three people hospitalized. 

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, there were three people at 37 Sensentine Road around Elk Lake when an explosion occurred outside the residence. An 84-year-old woman said she was in her kitchen when the explosion occurred and the residence partially collapsed. The woman stated that her 63-year-old son was upstairs and that she tried to get to him, but that there was debris at the stairwell which made it impossible for her to reach him, so she yelled for him to climb out the window. 

The son climbed out the window onto the roof and jumped to the ground. The woman's husband was on the porch at the time and got to safety. They stated that, once outside, they observed where the propane tanks were located along their house were ablaze and the house had caught fire. 

The fire eventually burned the victim's residence and two other residences to the ground. Surrounding homes along the lake also suffered damage from the explosion. 

The three occupants of the original home were taken to Geisinger in Scranton for treatment. 

The investigation remains ongoing, with the Pennsylvania State Police Fire and Explosives Unit assisting Waymart and surrounding fire departments with the origin and cause of the explosion. However, preliminary findings indicate that one of several 100-pound propane cylinders located outside the residence may have experienced a failure, resulting in a propane leak that subsequently ignited. Investigators believe that two additional propane cylinders exploded as a result of the ensuing fire.