Norfolk, NE – It was exactly the call Norfolk Fire and Rescue didnt want over the noon hour today. House explosion, family has evacuated. Home is located just inside Stanton County on 835th Road.
Roads are drifted over with up to a foot or more of snow as first responders depart for the call. They decide to take Highway 81 and cut east into Stanton County, not sure if they can get there or not. Soon, theres good news from an off-duty firefighter who got there first.
Norfolk Fire Chief Scott Cordes, Our first arriving units found that the family was out of the house. They reported some type of explosion, I believeit was a propane fed furnace based on preliminary reports, but there were no smoke and fire conditions in the house that had to be dealt with.
What could have been a tragedy became just another reminder to be careful with propane and heating your home. Had the call been something more serious, Norfolk Fire and Rescue personnelwere prepared.
What has happened here for the past 12 or 18 hours is really the preparation for all of that. Its getting the apparatus, the chains and cables installed, we got snowmobiles brought in from one of our local dealers so that we could use those to access places if it wasnt passable. We actually got a street department pay loader in the building that would pave the way for us. We would operate it ourselves and pave a way should we need to clear a pathway to get to a fire scene or a medical call, said Cordes.
Luckily, the this call turned out well. Theres no question it could have been much worse. While Norfolks First Responders prepared for a situation like this, there wont be any disappointment here if theres not a call that requires their heavy duty equipment.