By FireRescue1 Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mayday calls at the scene of a home explosion that injured four firefighters can be heard on audio recordings released Tuesday.
Fire officials are also heard saying gas was shut off at the meter before firefighters responded to gas odor.
“Let’s go ahead and drop a line right now because we are unable to get access. We are trying to wait for keys from the homeowner. We have the gas shut off, power shut off,” someone says in the recordings.
Investigators believe someone intentionally planned the July 5 explosion at the vacant home, which sent debris flying, according to KCRA.
“It’s disturbing. I don’t know what the person or persons responsible were attempting to accomplish. The reality is it attempted to accomplish the death of four of our firefighters,” Sacramento Fire spokesman Jonathan Burgess said.
Two of the injured firefighters entered the home two or three seconds before the blast.
“Mayday, mayday, we’ve got an explosion,” someone at the scene is heard yelling to dispatchers.
“We have an explosion on scene, full response, with three medics.”
Seconds later, someone is heard saying, “Everybody’s out. Everybody’s out of the house.”
The four injured firefighters have since been released from UC Davis Medical Center.
Officials are actively searching to make an arrest in connection with the explosion and are also investigating fireground operations to determine if any mistakes were made.
Initial findings from the investigation suggest firefighters took proper precautions.