Through the eyes of a Firefighter: The Imperial Sugar Explosion

Almost three months since the explosion at Imperial Sugar, tonight for the first time we get a look at what it was like through the eyes of a first responder. The sights, the sounds and the frustration of trying to save lives are seen throughout this video.

News Three’s Night Side Reporter Alice Massimi got the video and sat down to speak with the man who saw it first hand. 

The firefighter who took the video had just attached the camera to his helmet that day....never knowing the unforgettable images he was about to capture.

The images are scary enough watching them from the comfort of your home, which is why it's hard to imagine what it was like to actually be there.

“Very intense and you were nervous while going through this because there were explosions going off, fire everywhere. There was debris, parts of the building hanging out. There was parts of the building missing and collapsed you didn't know where you should be going,” recalls Volunteer Garden City Firefighter Roy Howard.

Howard had attached the camera to his helmet thinking it would be good for training.

“I wasn't expecting this,” says Howard.  

One of the first units on the scene, Roy and others headed into the burning building, not to put the fire out but to find survivors.

“I am coming, I promise you brother,” words Roy called out that night that are heard on his video.

“We saw him after we came into an area there was heavy fire on one side and we couldn't go up because the floor was gone. Then we went ahead and the floor was blown up and we took another left and we saw him and it was zero visibility. We found him lying on the floor and we packaged him up in a basket and got him out,” remembers Roy.

While he was able to rescue the two men, both later died at Augusta Burn Center.

“I believe we did everything that possibly could have been done. We did a very good job when we searched that building. We did all that was possible that night.” 

Roy just hopes his video will help investigators determine what caused this horrible accident, and make sure it never happens again.