5 firefighters battling Pompton Lakes house fire hurt in blast

Officials say a local first aid squad treated three of the firefighters who were injured at the scene. The other two were taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital.

News 12 Staff

Jan 14, 2023, 11:06 PM

Updated 472 days ago

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Officials say a Pompton Lakes house exploded early Saturday morning with five volunteer firefighters inside.
They say a local first aid squad treated three of the firefighters who were injured at the scene. The other two were taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital. None of their injuries are life-threatening and both were released from the hospital.
A video taken by a neighbor showed what the blaze looked like as it burned in the early morning hours.
Officials say the fire started around 2 a.m. Police were patrolling along River Road when they noticed smoke coming from the house.
Olivia Alvarez shot the video from across the street.
"It was just smoking, there were cops running around for about 45 minutes and then all of a sudden there was a big explosion, and I watched the house like lift up off the ground in one piece and then hit the ground and then blow up in flames," Alvarez recalled. "Once the house hit the ground again, I felt the heat from the flames in my window. I could feel that."
There were some damages to the house closest to where the explosion happened but besides the firefighters, there were no other injuries.
As of Saturday night, it was unclear how or where the fire started or what caused the explosion.


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