Police found hundreds of pounds of explosive materials inside a vehicle and on the property where a deadly house fire left two young children and two men dead as well as a baby and teen hurt in Buena Borough, New Jersey, investigators revealed Tuesday.
Due to the fire damage, officials were not able to determine what type of explosives may have been in the home but police said a large amount of explosives were found inside a nearby vehicle and a building on the property.
Police said the items recovered from both the vehicle and the building were consistent with the production of commercial-grade fireworks.
Police recovered the following materials from the scene:
Items recovered from vehicle:
- 74 lbs of Potassium Nitrate
- 15 lbs of Aluminum (Powder)
- 8.5 lbs of Aluminum (Powder-ALCOA)
- 6 lbs of Magnesium
- 3 lbs of 50/80 Mesh Molochite
- 3 lbs of Calcium Carbonate
- 3 lbs of Strontium Carbonate
- 9.5 lbs of Parlon-Chlorinated Rubber
- 1 lb of Silica 325 Mesh
- 5.661 lbs of 17 x 25 homemade aerial shells
- 5.25 lbs of 7 x 4 homemade aerial shells
- 1.125 lbs of commercial aerial shells
- 50.5 lbs of unidentified dark metals
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Items recovered from Outbuilding:
- 58 lbs of Amonium Nitrate
- 30 lbs of Aluminum (Powder)
- 26 lbs of Sodium Salicylate
- 25 lbs of Potassium Nitrate
- 45 lbs of Amonium per chlorate
- 45 lbs of Potassium Benzoate
- 10 lbs of Potassium per chlorate
- 10 lbs of Barium Nitrate
- 2 lbs of Barium Sulfate
- 20 lbs of 50/80 Mesh Molochite
- 2.5 lbs of Hexamethalyne Tetramine
- 4 lbs of Indium Hydroxide
- 1.8 lbs of M Series destructive device (1”x 4”)
- .520 lbs of M Series destructive device (2.75”x 3”)
- 11.2 lbs of Salutes homemade Pyrotechnic
- 10 feet of Quick Match
- 50 feet of hobby fuse
The explosion likely took place on the first floor and left corner of the home, according to police.
U.S. & World
The incident happened on August 3, when Franklin Township Police were called to a home on the 300 block of Northwest Boulevard at 10:35 a.m. for a reported fire. When they arrived they found a house that was fully engulfed in flames as well as a 1-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl who were both suffering from burns.
"The residence was fully engulfed when I arrived," Franklin Township Police Chief Matthew DeCesari said. "All indications are that this thing went up very fast and it was a lot to try to fight."
The baby and teen were both airlifted to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia. The baby girl was listed in critical condition while the teen girl is stable, police said.
Police said all four people in the home died in the explosion. They were a 2-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl, a 52-year-old man and a 73-year-old man. All of their bodies have now been recovered.
Investigators said the 1-year-old girl and 16-year-old girl were either inside the home or right outside of it during the blast.
Police said they identified the two children who were killed but are not revealing their names due to their ages. They still have not identified the two men.
The fire, which was captured on video by a witness, damaged at least three homes in the area.
Footage from NBC Philadelphia's helicopter showed widespread wreckage and debris of at least one home that had been destroyed.
Neighbors, including Adriann Macario, said they felt the impact of the blast as far as two blocks away from where it occurred.
"Stuff on top of the bathrooms, like, it fell on the floor because it was that strong," Macario said.
Police did not reveal additional details on what led to the explosion but said they are treating the incident as a “criminal investigation.”
“This is just something that’s very tragic,” DeCesari said. “This is a small community. Everybody seems to know each other and when you have an incident like this, it really hits everyone.”
Franklin Township Police, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI, ATF, and NJ State Police are all investigating the incident.
Two other homes were damaged during the explosion. Residents inside those homes, including Victor Contes, were evacuated.
"The Red Cross gave me help," Contes told NBC10. "I got some money and I have to right now find a place to stay. Look for a room."
Other homes in the surrounding area were evacuated as well as a precautionary measure. Those residents were eventually allowed back in once police determined there was no longer any risk to the public.
Franklin Township Police also asked the public to submit any video they had of the fire or explosion as the investigation continues.
