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Six firefighters were injured when a home exploded early Saturday (January 14) morning in New Jersey. The Pompton Lakes Volunteer Fire Department said that a police sergeant called to report smelling smoke coming from the home.
Firefighters went inside to determine the source of the smoke when the home suddenly exploded. The explosion sparked a large fire and caused the house to partially collapse.
"Within a couple minutes of their entrance, and while using a thermal imaging camera to locate the problem, the home literally exploded, injuring some members manning the hose line at the back of the home and partially trapping others in the basement," the department wrote on Facebook.
Miraculously, all of the firefighters survived the blast and managed to escape from the burning building. Two of the firefighters suffered burns and were transported to the hospital, while the other four were treated at the scene. The two firefighters have since been released from the hospital.
They also managed to evacuate the lone occupant of the home. He told officials he did not know how the fire started.
"I thought we were going to have six fatalities, I really did," Pompton Lakes Fire Chief Jason Ekkers told NorthJersey.com. "They managed to climb out of the basement with compromised stairs. They all helped each other out, they came out one at a time, and we were at the back door, just feeding them out."
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the explosion.