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Click above to watch the explosion video directly from the Drive Cam on PGFD's Engine 826.

Click here for helicopter video from the scene

Watch report from 9NEWS NOW's Scott Broom

Read PGFD press release about the incident

Slideshow from wusa9.com

Eight firefighters and a gas company worker were injured in a natural gas explosion at a strip mall in Forestville, Maryland on Thursday afternoon. Despite being caught in the violent explosion, only two of the injured remain hospitalized. Career Captain Robert Rouse from Engine 823 (Forestville) and Volunteer Firefighter Greg Powell from Station 826 (District Heights) are in good condition at the Washington Hospital Center.

Click above to listen to fireground audio via DCFireFeed.com.

According to Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, the fire department received the call for 3426 Donnell at 12:54 PM. The first firefighters arrived five-minutes later and reported a strong odor of natural gas inside some of the stores at the Penn Mar shopping center.

The firefighters spent their first minutes on the scene evacuating the businesses. Approximately 45 people were ushered out of five stores. A sixth store front in the area of the leak was vacant. Firefighters requested help from the Washington Gas Company and a crew arrived at the shopping center a short time later.

This version of the video is shot off of the screen but also has close-up views and highlights the firefighters. Some of the clips are in slow motion.

According to Brady, firefighters in the rear of the strip mall soon discovered gas bubbling up from the ground in the rear of the stores. On the recorded fireground radio traffic you hear the report a few minutes later that a fire erupted behind the building.

As the incident commander, Battalion Chief Kenneth McSwain, tried to determine more details about the fire an explosion occurred at about 1:20 PM. The radio traffic erupted with the urgent transmissions of "Mayday" from a number of firefighters.

The video of the explosion was captured by a camera mounted on Engine 826 at the front of the building.

Three still frames capture the position of four firefighters just prior and during the explosion. In the top image, one firefighter is heading into the building as another firefighter exits. In the middle frame, the explosion starts to occur as the firefighter leaving is all the way to the left and two more firefighters head toward the structure. At this point the other firefighter is already inside. In the bottom image, the circle on the left is the firefighter who had exited the building and the circle on the right identifies the position of the two firefighters facing the explosion. Spokesman Mark Brady said the firefighter inside the building was able to immediately hit the ground as the blast occurred, lessening the impact from the explosion. Brady also credits the PPE with the relatively minor nature of the injuries.

There was a flash fire that immediately spread through the building and caused some of the injuries. As that immediately subsided a smaller fire continued to burn inside the strip mall. The firefighters and gas company worker were also injured by the flying debris from the explosion.

Glass and other building parts were scattered more than 70-feet into the front parking lot. The video shows the roof appearing to lift up and then falling back down into place. Brady reports the brick and block wall in the rear of the structure was blown out.

The firefighters on the scene quickly recovered from the blast and began accounting for and helping those who were injured. A second-alarm was requested after the explosion bringing in additional firefighters and equipment.

Picture by PGFD's Mark Brady of Truck 805 (Capitol Heights).

One of the firefighters who was treated and released at the Medstar Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center recently made news for another reason. Firefighter Rachel Edney from Station 805 was cited for her actions on February 1 of this year when on her off-duty hours she jumped into the frigid South River in Anne Arundel County and saved a drowning 61-year-old man.

On April 16, 1980 a Prince George's County firefighter was killed in a natural gas explosion. Thomas L. Graves Jr. was crushed by debris while on the scene of a gas leak at an apartment complex on Goodluck Road.

List of injured firefighters from PGFD:

Personnel admitted to Washington Hospital Center Burn Unit

Capt. Robert Rouse, Station 823-Forestville, 2nd degree burns to face and hands.

Volunteer Fire Fighter Greg Powell, Station 826-District Heights, injuries from flying debris

Treated and released from Washington Hospital Center Burn Unit

Fire Fighter Kelli Kivett, Station 823-Forestvile

Fire Fighter Rachel Edney, Station 805 –Capitol Heights

Transported to other area hospitals, treated and released

Lt. Richard Anderson, Station 826-District Heights

Capt. John Gatland, Station 805-Capitol Heights

Fire Fighter Curk Smart, Station 823-Forestville

Fire Fighter/Medic William Descutner, Station 805-Capitol Heights

# posted by My Bio @ 2:23 PM