Vernon Fire Chief Cites Ellington Firefighters for a 'Team Effort' at Scene of Collapsed House

VERNON, CT — Vernon's fire chief on Friday hailed what he called "team effort" by local, state and federal crews after a house exploded on Thursday on East Street.

He said more than 200 police officers, firefighters and other investigators took part in the efforts.
Vernon police spokesman Lt. William Meyer said investigators concluded their Friday work at the scene at 8:24 p.m. They will be returning Saturday and expect to be at the scene most of the day continuing the investigation, he said.

Police officers have been are posted at the scene and will be guarding it around the clock for the investigators. There is no further information about the cause of the explosion at this time.

Earlier in the day, Vernon Fire Chief William Call shared some details on how seven people were rescued from the explosion.

"It was a total team effort involving a lot of personnel," Call said just before he took the podium for a news conference on Friday.

That included not only Vernon police and firefighters, but fire and rescue crews from Ellington and Tolland. The state urban search and rescue team, comprised of first-responders from several disciplines, was assembled and arrived at the scene quickly, Call said.

Vernon police Capt. John Kelley said state police not only responded to the scene, but backed up the Vernon cops on local calls.

The explosion at 4 East St. rocked the tight-knit neighborhood in the Rockville section of town at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. That section of town features older houses packed close together surrounded by old factory complexes. The explosion blew out the lower section of the house, and the roof collapsed.

Inside the house were a 7-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, police said.

Outside the home were two girls, 11 and 12, and a 60-year-old man, police said.

The two girls outside the home were taken to Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Meier said.

The 60-year-old refused medical attention at the scene, he said.

Call said a Vernon fire crew rescued victims from the front of the house and Tolland and Ellington firefighters worked to free victims at the other end of the house.

He said Ellington supplied a jack system that stabilized the structure while the search was under way.

All seven people who were on the property at the time will pull through, he said.

"There were a lot of people involved in the extrication," he said.