Six firefighters were inside a New Jersey house battling a 2-alarm fire when the structure exploded overnight, injuring some of the first responders, local officials said.
The Pompton Lakes Fire Department dispatched its volunteer firefighters to get control of a residential structure early Saturday morning in the Garden State borough.
"While attempting to douse the flames five of Pompton Lakes bravest [were] inside the house when it exploded," Wayne Fire Company No. 2 wrote on Facebook.
Officials said the firefighters managed to escape by climbing out of the home's basement.
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The mayor of Pompton Lakes said at least two of the firefighters inside the home at the time of the explosion required hospitalization, but their injuries were not life threatening. Those firefighters suffered burns and were later released.
"Everyday our volunteer organizations put their life on the line for Pompton Lakes," Mayor Mike Serra wrote online. "We all appreciate it."
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An eagle-eyed officer on patrol spotted smoke coming from the home on Ramapo Avenue around 2 a.m. and knocked on the door in time to get homeowner Tom Garrett out.
"He came out and said you ain't going back into the house pal, stay outside and he was the one who called the fire department," Garrett said.
Investigators are now working to determine what may have sparked the fire and led to the structure's sudden explosion.
