Explosion at West Yellowstone motel

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — Authorities are investigating an explosion that rocked the small town of West Yellowstone on Thursday evening.

Firefighters received the call around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“Hebgen Basin Fire District and West Yellowstone Police Department were dispatched to the report of an explosion in the city limits of West Yellowstone,” Assistant Fire Chief Carrie Egging of the Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District said in the statement.

Egging said that Yellowstone National Park Rangers also responded, assisting with traffic control and securing the scene.

According to the statement, HBFD arrived to find the One Horse Motel on Main Street had sustained “substantial structural damage.”

The cause of the explosion is under investigation. However, the West Yellowstone Professional Firefighters Local 4432 posted on their Facebook page that a propane leak likely caused the explosion.

No guests were staying at the motel since it was closed for the winter season. The resident owners were also not present at the time of the explosion, said Egging.

No injuries were reported.

The area surrounding the structure is closed due to structural instability, Egging said.