Two Firefighters Hurt in New York House Explosion

Jan. 16, 2012
Two firefighters and two workers were injured Monday afternoon when a townhouse exploded in West Haverstraw, N.Y.

Two firefighters and two workers were injured Monday afternoon when a townhouse exploded in West Haverstraw, N.Y.

Firefighters knocked on the door of a townhouse following a gas main break, and in the next few moments the house exploded, according to WABC-TV.

Officials still don't know if anyone was in the house.

Rockland Paramedic Services Executive Director Raymond Florida told reporters the Stony Point ambulance and Haverstraw ambulance corps took the firefighters to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, rather than wait for the medical helicopter.

Both firefighters suffered burns, and one was thrown about 25 feet by the force of the explosion, Florida said.

“They were lucky to get out of there alive,” Florida said from the scene. “There’s a gaping hole where the houses used to be. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

More information will be posted when it becomes available.

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