Brockton

Brockton Rocked by Explosion, Fires Amid Nor'easter

"There were multiple power outages in the area as well as the fires," a Brockton fire captain said

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Explosions rocked a neighborhood in Brockton, Massachusetts, Wednesday morning as high winds dropped power lines and a transformer onto a house, setting it and several trees ablaze.

Anthony Dent-Deal captured it all on camera. He lives across Pine Street and was just leaving for work when the fire exploded into life.

"The transformer blew up right in my face and I said, 'Oh, wow.' I said, 'Hey, come out here and look at this' ... and three more explosions go off."

Dent-Deal said he's never seen anything like it: "In movies, that's about it. Just felt like they said, 'Action,' and all that happened."

A powerful nor'easter left major damage in parts of Massachusetts and left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark for what could be days.

Everyone in the burning house got out okay.

Brockton firefighters were already working on a fire on North Main Street when the Pine Street fire was reported about half hour later. About 20 people on Main Street were displaced. Fire Capt. Dan Foy said it was a busy night for the department.

"There were multiple power outages in the area as well as the fires," he said. "Calls coming in continuously for power lines falling on houses, across streets, especially as people were starting to come in to work. Just going on all throughout the city."

If you're one of the many people whose home has been damaged in the nor'easter hitting Massachusetts Wednesday, here's what to know about filing an insurance claim.

Foy said four firefighters were hurt fighting the North Main Street fire and one on Pine Street, but none of the injuries were serious.

Winds were gusting above 65 mph as the nor'easter struck southeastern Massachusetts Wednesday, helping to knock out power for much of the area -- about half a million people at one point in the day, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

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