Local News

2 Mass. women killed in camper explosion in Maine’s Old Orchard Beach

“These people were wonderful human beings from all accounts that we’ve learned about them,” Maine State Fire Marshall Shawn Esler said.

The camper after the explosion. Maine Fire Marshal's Office

July 28, 2025

2 minutes to read

Two Massachusetts women are dead after a camper exploded at a campground in Maine’s Old Orchard Beach.

The victims — Alesia Ventura-Large, 58, of Marlborough, and Nancy Pilsch, 57, of Leominster — suffered severe burns in the incident, which happened at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Powder Horn Campground, according to the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office. The women were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where they died from their injuries Sunday.

During a press conference Monday, Maine State Fire Marshall Shawn Esler said Ventura-Large and her family owned the camper.

“These people were wonderful human beings from all accounts that we’ve learned about them,” Esler said of the two women killed in the explosion. “They were visiting Maine … and intended on having a wonderful weekend here in Old Orchard Beach.”

So far, investigators have learned that, when the women arrived at the camper, they reported a smell they described to first responders as like garlic, Esler said. That smell was likely the rotten egg smell of odorant added to propane, the fire marshall said.

They opened windows and doors, then lit a candle to help with the smell.

“At that point in time, this is what we believe is the ignition source that sparked what we believe is a propane leak,” Esler said. “Which led directly to the fire and explosion.”

The fire marshall said he is not sure if the two women recognized the smell in the camper as being from propane.

“That they lit a candle lends credibility to that they didn’t actually know what the smell was,” he said.

As a result of the preliminary investigation, Esler said there are two possible causes that are still being vetted. One possibility is that there was a leak in a propane line or appliance in the camper.

“We need to go back and do some further testing to confirm whether or not that is true,” he said.

Responding firefighters also noted that a knob on the stove was in the “on” position when they arrived at the scene, which could be the reason why propane leaked into the small destination camper.

Work still needs to be done to rule out one or the other of the causes, Esler said.

“At this point there’s no criminal activity that we are investigating,” he said.

According to Esler, there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary with how the camper, estimated to be 12 to 14 years old, was set up. It was at the campground for an extended amount of time and was set up for the season, he said.

The fire marshall urged people to ensure they have gas detectors in their residences.

“This is an absolutely tragic event,” Esler said. “And while we don’t always use a tragedy to spread a message, it’s incredibly important that if you have a propane or a natural gas appliance in your household, that you invest in a gas detector. That will give early notification of a gas leak and allow folks to get outside as soon as possible.”

This story has been updated to include new information from the Maine State Fire Marshall.