BERLIN, Connecticut — An explosion in Berlin flattens a home. The blast trapped an elderly man and his dog inside. The blast alerted neighbors who quickly sprang into action.
"That entire side of the house was blown out and engulfed in flames," said Mason Alexander.
Alexander, 14, was awoken by the sound of an explosion around 11 am Monday morning. The young man ran outside of his multi-family home to see half of his neighbor’s home gone.
"It was a completely terrifying experience for me," said Alexander. "I’ve never experienced a fire like this."
Debora Silva and her fiancé also heard the blast come from 262 Christian Lane. Her fiancé quickly sprang into action running to the back of their neighbors home. Their elderly neighbor and his dog were trapped inside.
"There was debris all over the place so we couldn’t get in the house," said Silva.
Her fiancé then ran to the front of the home where a passerby had stopped and gotten out of his car. The two ran inside looking for the trapped man in his 80’s. Within a few minutes the two pulled the Marine Core veteran from the home before emergency crews arrived.
"Without their fast reaction I think things would’ve looked a little bit more different," said Saundra Alexander.
The man was transported to Hartford Hospital and later to Bridgeport Hospital’s burn unit. His family says he was badly burned but is expected to be OK. His dog was rescued from the home. Mason is taking care of the dog.
"That old man was nice," said Mason. "I really didn’t want anything like this to happen to him."
Emergency crews quickly put out the flames. The charred remains continued to smoke well into the afternoon. Crews began demolishing parts of the home shortly thereafter so investigators could look into the cause of the blast. Utility crews including Connecticut Natural Gas were on scene. Neighbors say they smelt gas the night before.
"Hopefully the can salvage memento items. That’s as much as you can do with a situation like this," said Silva.
The neighbors are taking care of the dog they rescued until the owner can come home. The state fire marshal is assisting the local marshal in the investigation. They have not released the cause for the explosion at this time.