OLD ORCHARD BEACH, M.E. — The two Massachusetts women who died from injuries suffered in a camper explosion at Old Orchard Beach in Maine smelled a strange odor and lit a candle prior to the fiery eruption, the Maine State Fire Marshal’s office said Monday.
According to the Maine Department of Safety, the camper explosion happened around 12:30 p.m. at 48 Cascade Road on Saturday.
Upon arrival, the first responders found two adult females, identified as 58-year-old Alesia Ventura-Large of Marlborough, Massachusetts, and 58-year-old Nancy Pilsch of Leominster, Massachusetts, with severe burn injuries.
Both Ventura-Large and Pilsch were transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where they died from their injuries on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
“Makes you realize how short life is,” said Joy Bercovitz, Pilsch’s neighbor said.
Bercovitz has lived across the street from Pilsch in Leominster for more than 20 years.
“It breaks my heart to see her have to go that way what a horrible way, you know she’ll be missed in the neighborhood, as a friend and as a neighbor,” she said.
Ventura-Large’s husband shared photos of his wife, saying in part:
“Alesia, you are a light shining brightly in the night sky. You lit up every room you ever walked into. And you lit up my life.”
On Monday, the Maine State Fire Marshal’s office said the two women were visiting Maine while on vacation and were staying in the camper that was owned by one of their relatives.
The State Fire Marshal said the two women noted a “garlic smell” inside the camper and lit a candle to mask the odor.
The State Fire Marshal said they have identified two possible ignition sources: a propane leak caused by a system failure or it was leaking from a stove. Officials say a knob on the camper’s stove was found in the “on” position.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office says Nancy Pilsch would have celebrated her birthday on Monday.
There was a smoke detector in the home but no gas detector.
The Fire Marshal’s Office stressed the importance of gas detectors in any living space where propane or natural gas appliances are used.
An investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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