Laurel Lake man burned in house explosion early Monday. What his wife says about blast
COMMERCIAL TWP. — Family members of a Laurel Lake man injured in an early Monday morning house explosion and fire say he was quickly evacuated to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Pennsylvania for treatment.
Carolyn DeKnight, said her husband, Jim, was taken by ambulance from their home on the 6200 block of Battle Lane near Jute Road directly to a helipad and flown to the hospital that specializes in burn care. Jim DeKnight was home alone except for their dog, she said.
DeKnight said her husband and their dog escaped with timely help from a cross-street neighbor. He saw they could not get out to their porch because of a jammed door. The neighbor ripped off the door.
More: Prosecutors in court to force Millville owner of seized pit bulls to pay vet costs
More: Inspira ends non-medical fitness programs at Cumberland, Salem sites
DeKnight said she was waiting for details on her husband's condition.
Laurel Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Raymond Klecz said an emergency call came in at 4:40 a.m. Monday, and firefighters were on scene in about six minutes. The house, which is heavily damaged, is several short blocks from the fire station.
Klecz, who himself lives nearby, said it took about two hours to bring the fire under control. There were no injuries among firefighters, he said.
DeKnight said she was taking care of her mother overnight at a house several blocks away and was not at home when the accident took place. She heard a “boom” and thought it might be thunder.
“And then, I looked at the forecast. Nope. Not thunder,” she said.
DeKnight said a community Facebook page already was reporting an explosion within 10 minutes of the incident. The first reports seemed to indicate it was not her home, though.
She was about to text her husband, but got a phone call from the neighbor who helped her husband. The neighbor told her he had been getting ready to leave for work, had gone outside, and heard a “boom.”
“He said he (Jim) is talking and they just put him in the ambulance,” she said. “He said he has burns on his face and stuff like that.”
Jim DeKnight gave the neighbor her cellphone number to let her know what happened.
The dog, a 6-year-old Brittany spaniel, is all right but a little singed. “He smells like burnt popcorn,” she said, with a laugh.
DeKnight said her husband starts work usually around 6 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland. Usually, she said, he would not be awake so early.
South Jersey Gas workers were on site checking connections along Battle Lane.
Other fire companies responded from Millville, Downe Township, Heislerville, Dividing Creek, Mauricetown, and Port Norris. Klecz said the cause is under investigation by state fire marshals. Commercial falls under New Jersey State Police jurisdiction.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Support journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Laurel Lake house explosion leaves man burned in South Jersey
