Feb. 27, 2023 Six Pompton Lakes firefighters, who were in the house, suffered minor injuries.
Source Firehouse.com News
Six Pompton Lakes firefighters who were in a house when it exploded walked away with minor injuries.
Dramatic body cam footage of the January blast has just been released, CBS2 reported.
Just seconds before, footage shows one firefighter walking into the home from the porch.
“Two of them were blown out because they were right by the door. They got blown out the door into the driveway,” Pompton Lakes fire official John Keating told reporters.
Two firefighters, along with a lieutenant, were in the basement and the lieutenant helped them out.
Three other firefighters including an assistant chief, were on the first floor. Two were pulling a line into the home.
“It was the assistant chief and the two other guys who got blown out. Thankfully, they were in the right spot of the house,” Keating said, adding that their gear saved them.
“They have their full-time jobs. They have their families, and they give up their time to come to something like this. It’s really truly amazing,” a neighbor, Tracey Alvarez said.
She went on to describe the incident: “The house literally lifted off the foundation and came back down. It was like The Wizard of Oz.”
All those injured are volunteers.
The assistant fire chief had burns to his ears because his hood blew off while the lieutenant, suffered third-degree burns to his hands.
The cause remains under investigation.