(Photo by JAY HEATH) A firefighter gets assistance from one of several civilians who jumped in to help rescue injured men following the massive explosion at the Bradford bus garage on Friday. Town officials are praising the civilians and first-responders for their heroic efforts.

BRADFORD — By early Thursday afternoon, pretty much everyone in Bradford and neighboring towns heard about Thursday morning’s massive explosion and resulting fire that destroyed a Route 114 bus garage and seriously injured two men.

But “what most do not know is that five heroes went running into the fire to help,” officials wrote in a statement posted on town social media in the wake of the catastrophe.

While firefighters and other first-responders raced to the scene in response to a multitude of frantic 911 calls, the first police officer on the scene reported hearing “cries for help … that sounded like they were coming from inside the building,” according to the statement.

Officials said members of the state Fire Marshal’s office are investigating the circumstances of the incident at Student Transportation of America — formerly Valley Transportation — at 2345 Route 114, which is just south of the intersection of Route 103 near the center of town.

The two seriously injured men were initially transported to Concord Hospital, then flown by medical helicopters to Boston area hospitals. Officials said both were listed in critical condition at the time.

(Photo by News603) Firefighters from Concord, one of numerous communities that helped battle the 5-alarm fire in Bradford Friday, douse the remains of the bus garage and buses parked next to it.

They said a preliminary investigation indicates the two men were performing maintenance on a propane-powered school bus just before the explosion.

Town officials, meanwhile, described a series of heroic efforts by several individuals who put aside their personal safety and, in many cases, risked their own lives to help the injured men.

Within moments of arriving, two Bradford police officers saw “several citizens come running from the side of the building, yelling that someone was trapped and needed help,” according to the statement.

“The officers, along with Jeff Sykes of Bradford, Derek Sykes of Sutton, Debra Dimond of Weare, and Joshua Raney of Newport went running in to help and try to free the man.

“Small explosions were still going off, yet these citizens were adamant that efforts continue until the man was freed. Several attempts were made to try and drag the man out but the weight of the debris and heat of the fire were too much.

(Town of Bradford photo) Fire engulfs a section of the bus garage following the explosion that triggered the 5-alarm blaze in Bradford. Town officials are crediting numerous "heroes" who rushed to help two seriously injured employees.

“These four people, along with Bradford police, firefighter Biron of Sutton and Dave Camire of Bradford (two more heroes who were passing by stopped to help) continued their efforts, now using a chainsaw to cut the debris as the fire crept closer to the trapped man.

“While one person was cutting, Diamond was manning a hose to suppress the fire while two others used 2×6 boards to pry the debris, and two others dragged the man out.

“First responders sign up for a job knowing that one day you may need to risk it all for someone else. Jeff and Derek Sykes, Diamond, Raney and Camire could have easily just passed by on their way minding their own daily business but yesterday was not that day. “These heroes deserve to be recognized for their actions. There is no doubt that if not for them, the (trapped) victim would not have been freed and saved.

“Bradford police would also like to thank all the first responders who were on scene assisting, whether it was medical, fire, traffic or command. Everyone had a job to do and everyone did it with courage and bravery. “Also assisting at the scene were crews from Bradford Highway Department, Valley Excavating and Bradford resident Christopher Aiken.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the two men injured in the fire and their families and friends,” the statement concluded.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.