An explosion inside a house engulfed three firefighters in flames Monday afternoon. They escaped thanks to quick thinking and top-of-the-line safety gear.
No one was home at the brick house on Fork Hill Road when a passer-by noticed smoke pouring from the windows.
Neighbor Mozell Harris heard lots of commotion outside. "It was just smoke, hazy smoke, all up there," she said, pointing to her neighbor's house.
Fortunately, homeowner Sammy Jones wasn't at home, but three firefighters crawled inside the smoke-filled house looking for the source of the fire.
There were two members of the Heath Springs Fire Department and one member of the Kershaw Fire Department.
Fire marshal Stephen Blackwelder said it all happened very fast, literally in a flash of light and flame.
"They were on their knees, crawling. They found a door and at that time the smoke explosion happened, which basically engulfed them in flames for a matter of a couple of seconds," Blackwelder said.
The powerful explosion blew out all the windows in the home, sending blinds, glass and debris sailing several feet into the yard. On one side of the house an air conditioning unit dangled from its power cord, hanging out the window.
Fire officials said the $75,000 home is a total loss.
Through the thick smoke, the firefighters followed the hose line back outside to safety. Two of them suffered minor burns from the flames that had surrounded them.
"These folks could have been in a lot of danger real fast," Blackwelder said. One reason they escaped serious injury was their top-of-the-line turnout gear.
The Heath Springs Fire Department received a federal grant in 2009 to buy the new, safer gear.
All three firefighters were wearing it, and the fire marshal said it made a difference.
Blackwelder showed Channel9 the burn marks on the flash hood worn by one of the firefighters and black scorch marks on two of their helmets.
"It protected them and gave them the critical seconds they needed," he said.
Lancaster County sheriff's Investigators were called to the scene initially because it was not clear how the fire started. They told Channel 9 that the cause appears to be a dryer that was left on when the homeowner went out.
As for the flash fire and explosion, it's not clear what caused it. Blackwelder believes it was likely a buildup of gases in a room or an attic area that suddenly ignited.
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