KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Warning signs remain on Rollaway Drive, telling neighbors to stay away from a home that exploded.
A day after the explosion, 911 calls and radio traffic between first responders are giving a clearer picture of the moments that followed — one of urgency for anyone looking to provide help.
Neighbors desperately tried to alert first responders to the explosion.
"Several calls now reporting an explosion, possible house on fire."
Dispatch calls show that the quick thinking of the first responders to get help there right away.
"There's debris all in the road. We're going to have to have units come around. We can probably get one unit coming in from Seven Mile. Other than that, come in at Rollaway because you won't be able to get through."
A first responder can be heard explaining just how severe the injuries were to one person.
"I'm going to need two people with medical bag(s), grab your trauma bag, for I've got a severe burn victim."
On Tuesday, the Kent County Sheriff's Office is thanking the quick thinking of first responders and neighbors nearby. Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir credited a teenager next door and another nearby resident with pulling a woman from the home.
"We are incredibly thankful to the nearby residents that rushed to the female associated with the address rescue, and were able to pull her from the home, that includes a teenager that lived just next door, as well as another male who lived nearby. Without their actions, it's likely that she would have perished in the fire," Muir said.
