PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A deadly propane blast that killed a firefighter, injured others and leveled a building in Farmington is the top story of 2019 in Maine.

Investigators said a fast-thinking maintenance manager saved lives by evacuating the two-story building that housed a nonprofit before an explosion shook the neighborhood.

One firefighter was killed in the blast; six firefighters and the maintenance manager were injured.

Other top stories were the arrival of hundreds of African asylum seekers in Portland, the expansion of Medicaid to thousands of Mainers, lawmakers’ removal of exemptions for vaccinations; and CMP’s hydropower project.

The stories were selected by The Associated Press and its member news organizations in Maine.