Caller Tells Dispatcher: ‘Your House Exploded!”

Quincy (Mass.) 911 dispatcher Mike Bowes received the call of a lifetime Monday night—a caller who turned out to be his neighbor reported that Bowes’ house had exploded and was on fire. After that first call, dozens of other callers dialed 911 to report the flames, including Bowes’ 68 year-old mother Elizabeth, who escaped along with Bowes’ father Donald. Bowes worked for about five minutes, officials said, before he was relieved and driven to the fire scene. Bowes’ cousin is a Quincy firefighter, and helped other firefighters carry out personal belongings before they were damaged. However, nearly everything was destroyed. Fire investigators say the fire originated in the garage, and the explosions were caused by propane tanks. Read more about the fire and watch an interview with Bowes here. Watch a TV video news report here. Update: Bowes appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to recall the incident. An assistance fund has also been established: Eastern Bank c/o Bowes Family Fund, 731 Hancock St., Quincy MA 02170, or you can send a Wal-Mart or Target gift card to Quincy PD, 1 Sea St., Quincy, MA, 02169.