'It Sounded Like a Bomb': Backdraft Injures Five Firefighters

By Daniel Arkin, NBC News

'It Sounded Like a Bomb': Backdraft Injures Five Firefighters

March 11, 2013 Updated Mar 11, 2013 at 10:59 AM PDT

Five firefighters were hurt when the backdraft from a six-alarm blaze set off a massive explosion at a New Jersey building Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The injuries were not considered life-threatening, but one firefighter was severely cut by flying shards of glass after the explosion shattered a window at the Harrison, N.J., building, fire officials said.

"It sounded like a bomb went off, to be completely honest," said Captain Robert Gillen of the Harrison Fire Department.

Dramatic video footage recorded by a witness shows a monster fireball ripping through the two-story structure, masking adjoining buildings in a thick cloud of smoke.

"There was heavy, black smoke. Debris was thrown from the building. A couple firefighters were literally thrown out of the building because the explosion was so powerful," Gillen said.

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