Teen caught in explosion in fair condition; police investigate cause
An explosion of undetermined origin caused a Delmar home to become engulfed in flames, displaced an area family and sent a teen to the hospital on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Bethlehem police were first to arrive at 151 Adams Place at about 11:45 a.m. after receiving a call from the homeowner, and officers Kenneth Beck and George Travis heard two explosions, according to police. They entered the burning structure to remove Keenan Sanchez, 15, from the basement.
Their quick arrival enabled them to save Sanchez, said Bethlehem police Lt. Thomas Heffernan.
At that point it was a heavy smoke conditions, I do not believe there were any physical flames, he said. `They just stayed down low, and they were luckily able to locate the victim and pull him out of the building They were lucky that the officers were there minutes after the first explosion, and before the structure was too heavily involved.`
The Delmar Fire Department and Delmar Rescue Squad responded initially and additional fire and emergency medical services squads from within town and the surrounding municipalities were also called in.
It was determined that the building was a loss largely due to the fact toxic chemicals may have been involved. Firefighters focused on keeping the fire from spreading to nearby homes and area residents were evacuated since the cause of the explosion was unknown.
Sanchez, the police officers and two county EMTs were transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment, and Sanchez was later transferred to the Westchester Medical Center Burn Unit.
According to Westchester Medical Center spokesman David Billig, Sanchez was in `fair condition` on Monday morning, but he declined to speak further on any injuries that were sustained.
An initial investigation determined that Sanchez was in the basement when the first explosion occurred. An investigation involving the Bethlehem Police Department’s Fire Investigations Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Delmar Fire Department is continuing.
Samples from the fire have been submitted for lab work, said Heffernan.
`One of the challenges is obviously we haven’t been able to interview the victim,` he added. `We’re just trying to determine what the cause of the explosion was, if there were chemicals involved and what they were used for.`
A community pulls together
The fire struck the Sanchez family in the midst of the holiday season, and the Bethlehem community has already made strides to help them back to their feet.
A fund has been created at the BC High School`donations can be made out to the `Sanchez Support Fund` and sent to the high school, 700 Delaware Ave.
Both Keenan and his sister Kameryn were high school students. Keenan ran track and Kameryn was a performer in the recently completed theater production of `As You Like It.`
`Both kids are really great kids, we’re devastated for the family losing everything. It’s poignant at this time of year,` said Superintendent Michael Tebbano. `We’re overwhelmed by the community support that comes out in these unfortunate circumstancesthis is a tight knit community.`
Tebbano said that high schoolers were informed of the tragedy through a Monday morning address by Principal Charles Abba and that crisis support teams would be made available for all students.
The Saturday afternoon performance of `As You Like It` was cancelled on account of the fire, but the evening performance went on as planned. Kameryn returned to the stage on Sunday to play the part of Adam, servant to Oliver.
Following the Saturday show, the players made baked goods that were sold on Sunday to benefit the Sanchez family. The proceeds from raffle baskets sold during the play’s run also went to the family and a collection was taken up at the final show. Altogether, the theater group put together about $2,000, said Parent Producer Maura Bennett.
`It was an amazing effort by the cast and crew,` she said. `Within 24 hours, they decided to make a push.`
In addition to monetary donations, the cast and crew rounded up clothing and other supplies.
Friends of the family have also established a Web site collecting donations at www.helpthesanchezfamily.org, and several Facebook groups have been established.
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