Two firefighters suffered relatively minor injuries after being thrown 20 feet Tuesday evening in Bremerton, Washington by an explosion at a Motel 6 that critically injured a gas company worker trying to shut off the gas. Above are multiple views of the explosion from surveillance cameras. You can see where the firefighters and gas workers were standing at about :50 in the video.
According to news coverage, motel manager Tonya Hinds is being credited with evacuating the building when she learned of the leak.
Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times:
Hinds, 50, told The Seattle Times on Wednesday that she called on her inner “mom’s voice” to force people from their rooms when the heavy odor of gas began blanketing the air. The explosion ripped through the nearly remodeled motel around 8:30 p.m.
Larry Jennings, a 59-year-old employee of Cascade Natural Gas, was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he remained in critical condition on Thursday afternoon. Jennings was working to cut off the gas at the motel Tuesday when the explosion occurred, injuring him.
Two Bremerton firefighters also sustained minor injuries when the force of the blast rocketed them 20 feet through the air, police said.
