A West Milford, NJ, home was leveled after an explosion, Sept. 22.Photo:City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
West Milford Fire Department, First Aid Squad and Atlantic ALS and others also responded.
First responders rescued 6 people after a home explosion in West Milford, NJ, Sept. 22.City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
Five people were taken to hospitals in the area, police said, while a sixth individual is said to have refused further medical treatment.
Keith Koster, a neighbor, toldmediaon the scene, “It was a vibration. It was a shock. It felt like it was going to push my house over. I’m like three-fourths of a mile down I’m not even that close and it felt like my house was going to fall over.”
Another neighbor, Cheryl Block, toldNorthJersey.com, “I thought it was my house that exploded,”
Block told the outlet there was some speculation the incident may have been due to a propane tank explosion. The home was sold last month after a foreclosure and was being renovated at the time of the incident, according to neighbors, the outlet reported.
The Paterson Fire Department, one of the many first responder units on the scene who helped rescue the occupants, shared photos of the wreckage on its Facebook page. In the photos, which have since been removed, rescuers were shown in front of the home, which looked to be nearly flattened to the ground. Walls were ripped away showing contents of various rooms of the house crushed.
The Paterson Fire Department shared details of thedelicate rescue operationon their social media.
An explosion decimated a West Milford, NJ, home, Sept. 22.City of Hackensack Fire Department/Facebook
The last person who was rescued “was heavily entrapped approximately 10 feet into the structure,” firefighters said on their Facebook page. The team tunneled through the rubble toward 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 individual from the rubble.
West Milford mayor Mayor Michele Dale spoke out on Saturday morning, asking the community to pray for the victims and thanked the town’s first responders for their “unwavering dedication to our township in times of crisis,” according to a report fromNorthJersey.com.
“We have the very best and we are very grateful for all they do,” Dale said.
source: people.com
