Video: House explodes with firefighters inside
TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — A burning house in Arkansas exploded as firefighters fought the blaze, but no one was injured in the blast that thrust insulation into the air like confetti.
KSLA-TV reports the Texarkana Fire Department arrived as smoke wafted from the attic Wednesday night.
Arkansas Fire Marshall Steve Johnson said a backdraft happened as one firefighter entered the house. The explosion was caught on video.
Two firefighters, including Brian Henry, were already inside. Henry says they “heard a boom and then the ceiling fell.”
Johnson says backdrafts are rare and that they happen when oxygen is rapidly reintroduced to combustibles in an oxygen-depleted space.
A mother and child who escaped the burning home before fire crews arrived were treated for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.