2 men hurt in St. James cesspool explosion

A cesspool exploded in the front yard of a St. James home Friday evening, seriously injuring two men with burns to their faces, a fire department chief said.

The homeowner on the 300 block of Cambon Avenue was in his front yard with a private cesspool company worker about 6:20 p.m., he said, trying to pry open a cement cesspool cover with a metal bar when it happened.

One neighbor across the street, about 80 feet away, said explosion "shook my whole house."

Minutes after the explosion, about 40 firefighters, ambulances and police arrived, according to the fire chief.

St. James Assistant Fire Chief Liam Carroll said, "There must have been some type of chemical in the cesspool that was flammable," possibly from treatment chemicals added to the cesspool, as well as methane gas.

The explosion caused a crater type effect in the ground several feet high and wide, Carroll said. But there was no fire after the explosion, he said.

The two injured men were taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center by ambulances from St. James and Nesconset fire departments. A second cesspool worker was not hurt.

Carroll said both men sustained serious burns to their faces, but were in stable condition Friday night, undergoing treatment in the hospital's emergency room.