Video: Buffalo firefighters hit by explosion while battling fire in New York building

A video shared on social media showed the moment an explosion hit firefighters battling a building fire in the US city of Buffalo in New York which left at least one person dead, officials said.

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The explosion hit and a wall of smoke pummeled out of the building knocking over the firefighters who were surrounded in a cloud of smoke. One firefighter died inside the building, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said the fireball was likely caused by a backdraft, which he said occurs when oxygen is “sucked into the building and then blown back,” the media outlet said.

“The rest of our firefighters on the scene were able to safely evacuate and unfortunately, he was not able to,” Renaldo said during an afternoon news conference.

“I am deeply saddened to report that a member of the Buffalo Fire Department has lost his life while bravely fighting the four-alarm fire on Main Street in Downtown Buffalo today,” ABC News reported Mayor Byron Brown as saying.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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