Advertisement Dashcam captures rare smoke explosion that injured Papillion firefighter Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Papillion firefighter suffered second-degree burns on his hands while battling a fire Saturday night near 102nd and Sutter Avenue.The video above captured the blast that caused the injuries.Joe LaPuzza was released from the hospital and is recovering from his burns. Another Papillion firefighter suffered a concussion in the blast.The fire broke-out Saturday night near 102nd and Sutter Avenue.A dad, making his kids dinner, found his cooking grease on fire and spreading to the walls. Papillion firefighters arrived first, 10 minutes into the fire, and doused it with water.That's when the unexpected happened."When I went to put my gloves on, that's when it exploded and threw me back," LaPuzza explained.LaPuzza was spraying water into the home at the front door when a rare phenomenon occurred.A smoke explosion, caused by built-up pressure inside the house, threw LaPuzza backwards. He had all of his gear on but was putting on his gloves - and that's where he was burned."I knew something went wrong. The explosion was loud. My ears were ringing, I felt like I was on fire," LaPuzza said.Two firefighters behind LaPuzza were also thrown. One has a concussion, but will be okay. The other is fine."I just scrambled to get out of the area. I knew I was hurt. My hands were searing and smoking," LaPuzza added.According to officials, explosions like this one are unusual. Similar to a backdraft, a smoke explosion happens when pressure builds up in a room until it has nowhere to go but out. The building, a converted apartment, storage space and old bank, were all connected and all burning."Having a building that pressurized with multiple open doors is just unheard of," LaPuzza explained.He added that he is thankful he had his facemask on, stating that the situation could have been worse. LaPuzza is also thankful that he and his fellow firefighters are okay."It's not going to be something that keeps me from firefighting when I'm healed," he said.