Recently released police body camera footage caught the moment a New Jersey home exploded while first responders were still fighting the blaze inside.
Police and volunteer firefighters in the town of Pompton Lakes responded to a home in the suburban neighborhood after a police sergeant on patrol noticed smoke billowing out of its windows on January 14.
A total of six first responders entered the home around 2.20am that morning. They were inside for less than a minute before the harrowing blast.
Body camera footage from a police officer standing outside captured the exact moment the explosion happened. In seconds, the house becomes engulfed in flames, then forcefully lifts itself off the foundation.
‘Two of them were blown out – because they were right by the door they got blown out the door into the driveway,’ Pompton Lakes Volunteer Fire Department Official John Keating told CBS New York at the scene.
Keating said the department’s Assistant Chief was one of the men thrown from the force of the blast. ‘Thankfully, they were at the right spot of the house.’
The other firefighters were in the house’s basement, where they suspected the fire was spreading. They were busy unspooling a hose when the house went up in flames.
The firefighters managed to help each other climb out on their own. One can be heard shouting ‘I need a medic!’ as they emerge from the burning house.
Miraculously, none of the six firefighters inside the home were killed. Several suffered burns, but their equipment protected them from further harm.
Two of the firefighters were transported Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where they were treated for severe burns. The other four reported minor injuries, but refused further treatment after first aid.
‘These volunteer firemen are owed a debt of gratitude for their courage and bravery,’ the Pompton Lakes Police Department stated. ‘It is truly a privilege to work along side them as well as the Pompton Lakes First Aid Squad.’
It is still unclear what caused the explosion in the suburban neighborhood. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are assisting the Pompton Lakes Police Department in an investigation.
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