january 18th, 2011. a tv news cameraman's videotaping workers responding to a gas leak in the tacony neighborhood of philadelphia when all of a sudden, the ground erupts. >> all you see is just this flash of light and this giant plume of smoke just rocket up into the sky, followed shortly by fire and sparkles of light, and just debris falling all around. >> cameraman jeff nichols captures the yellow-orange fireball. the explosion blows dangerous chunks of concrete and other debris into the air. >> you can see in the left corner of the screen that this panel of debris just kind of floats down from the sky and hits one gentleman in the back. >> nichols arrives at the scene 20 minutes before the blast, expecting to capture utility workers fixing the leak. >> as a news videographer, you've done these stories