Firefighters among 6 hurt in Wisconsin duplex explosion

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Fire officials were investigating Monday the cause of an explosion and blaze at a Milwaukee duplex that injured six people, including five firefighters.

Deputy Chief Michael Romas, of the Milwaukee fire department, said emergency personnel responded about 6:30 p.m. Sunday to a report of gas leak at a two-story brick duplex on the city's north side.

"We got on the scene and we went to investigate, and while we were investigating it exploded. We were getting everything in order, all the hoses and suddenly — boom," Romas said.

Three people — two firefighters and one civilian — suffered serious burns while the other three people hurt in the blast sustained minor injuries.

The resulting fire was quickly extinguished.

Samuel Dorsey said he smelled gas right away when he stopped to visit his aunt in the duplex.

"It just blew the roof off of it," Dorsey said. "(A) big fire ball, just unreal."

Dorsey said he had told his family to get out as soon as he smelled the gas. Minutes later, Dorsey heard the boom and saw flames.

At least two firefighters were inside investigating the smell when the duplex exploded. The force sent one firefighter flying.

"He was blown back into my uncle and my uncle grabbed him before he actually hit the ground hard," Dorsey said.

Dorsey said a man living in the duplex was inside at the time and appeared to have been thrown from the building by the explosion.

James Taylor saw the explosion, too.

"The fireman, he blew back into me and we both went across the street," Taylor says. "That's exactly what happened."

Milwaukee police, members of the Milwaukee Fire Department's arson investigation team and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene late Sunday trying to determine the cause of the explosion.

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