UPDATE June 10, 11:18 a.m. PT
The owner of the property where a brush fire ignited fireworks was killed in the blast, according to WITN.
Officials also report that three firefighters were injured in Friday’s blast. Two of them have been released from the hospital, while one is now being treated at The North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center.
According to Lenoir County Emergency Services, The Lenoir County Fire Marshal’s Office is coordinating the investigation with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal, the NC Forest Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Original report
By FireRescue1 staff
LENOIR COUNTY, N.C. — Several firefighters have been injured in an explosion near La Grange, North Carolina.
Two firefighters were airlifted in critical condition to the ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, and three others were transported by ground, according to FirefighterCloseCalls.com.
WITN reported that an explosion was first reported around 4 p.m. ET on farmland off Bulltown Road, south of La Grange in Lenoir County. Fire companies were on the scene of a brush fire that reportedly spread to a container of hazardous materials and/or fireworks, according to FirefighterCloseCalls.
Crews from Lenoir and Wayne counties responded to the scene.
The injuries are reportedly burns and shrapnel trauma.
This is a developing story.