Rescuers used airbags and a 50-ton crane to free one “severely trapped” victim
A massive explosion ripped through a New Jersey home Friday night, prompting five people to be airlifted to nearby hospitals, authorities said. In a statement released by the West Milford Police Department, the department received “multiple 911 calls” around 9:00 p.m. Friday reporting an explosion in the area of Banker Road in Upper Greenwood Lake. The police responded, arrived at the scene and confirmed that the house was “severely damaged by the explosion”.
The West Milford Fire Department, First Aid Squad and Atlantic ALS and others also responded.
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First responders rescued 6 people after a house explosion in West Milford, NJ on September 22nd.
City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
Five people were transported to area hospitals, police said, while a sixth person reportedly refused further medical attention.
Keith Koster, a neighbor, told media at the scene: “It was a vibration. It was a shock. I felt like my house was going to collapse. I’m about three-quarters of a mile down, not even that close, and it felt like my house was going to collapse.”
Another neighbor, Cheryl Block, told NorthJersey.com, “I thought my house had exploded,”
Block said there is speculation that the incident may have been the result of an exploding propane tank. The home was sold last month after foreclosure and was undergoing renovations at the time of the incident, according to neighbors, the listing agency reported.
5 dead, 3 injured after explosion destroys several homes in Pennsylvania
According to an ABC7NY report, the home was a one-story ranch that was recently sold and was leveled by the explosion. PIX11 reported that the “neighbors [said] they heard that the house was recently bought by new owners who may have been building on it or cleaning it.”
The Paterson Fire Department, one of the many first responders on the scene to help rescue the passengers, shared photos of the wreckage on its Facebook page. In the photos, which have since been removed, rescuers were shown in front of a house that looked as if it had almost been razed to the ground. The walls were torn down showing the crushed contents of various rooms in the house.
The Paterson Fire Department shared details of the delicate rescue operation on their social media.
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An explosion decimated a house in West Milford, NJ on September 22.
City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
The last person to be rescued “was severely trapped approximately 10 feet into the structure,” firefighters said on their Facebook page. The team tunneled through the rubble towards the victim and used “airbags, a 50-ton bottle jack and a Paratech Hydra Fusion (a type of hydraulic lift) to lift the structure off the victim” and remove the person from the rubble.
West Milford Mayor Michele Dale spoke out Saturday morning, asking the community to pray for the victims and thanking the city’s first responders for their “unwavering commitment to our city in this time of crisis,” according to a NorthJersey.com report.
“We have the best and we’re very grateful for everything they do,” Dale said.
Police say the explosion is still under investigation by the West Milford Fire Department, the West Milford Detective Bureau and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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