SOUTH HADLEY — Two South Hadley firefighters injured in an explosion Tuesday during a training session have been released from the hospital, according to South Hadley Fire District 1 Capt. Jim Pula.
Pula said the explosion took place inside a Massachusetts Fire Academy training trailer at 7:17 p.m. Tuesday.
The training was being held at South Hadley Fire District 2 on Woodbridge Street. According to Pula, both firefighters were transferred to Holyoke Medical Center for minor injuries Tuesday and were released that night.
Pula declined to name the injured firefighters.
Pula said an excessive release of gas caused ignition, resulting in a minor explosion. He said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. There was no damage to the Fire Department building.
The department began the training at 6:30 p.m. with 15 firefighters present, Pula said. The training was set to last three hours, but ended when the explosion happened about 45 minutes into the training, Pula said.
There were three firefighters inside the trailer at the time of the explosion. One firefighter was unharmed, he said.
According to Pula, the fire department runs occasional simulated trainings using several trailers from the Massachusetts Fire Academy for different emergency situations. The trailers are comparable in size to an RV, he said.
Pula said the trailer contained props including a burning bed and a burning stove. Gas fires in the trailer are controlled by three Massachusetts Fire Academy operators, Pula said, similar to the way one would control a gas stove.