On Tuesday, an explosion in a New Jersey condominium development left one person dead and seven workers injured.
According to local authorities, the blast occurred at the Ewing Township “after a gas line was damaged by contractors who were digging in the area.”
A spokeswoman for the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) utility company said that workers arrived at the scene around 11:45 a.m. to fix the issue. A few minutes later, utility workers were complaining about a stench in the air.
Nearly an hour later the gas line exploded and damaged 55 nearby homes in the complex.
Reports say that around 1 p.m. the explosion sent flames and fragments soaring into the sky. A fire also followed and soon local residents in the area were dialing 911.
One witness by the name of Matt told a CBS Philadelphia reporter that he was blown off his feet nearly 50 feet away.(image)
“I was getting off my couch … I got up, and there’s was just this very loud explosion,” he said, according to CBS News. “Right after that, my front door – glass door -got shattered. And I kinda flew back … from the explosion.”
The man stated that he suffered a hand injury from the explosion.
A local Trenton hospital was treating five patients with burn wounds, in which two also suffered from concussions. Two PSE&G employees were injured by the blast, but are said to be suffering from minor wounds.
The victim’s body was found in the wreckage outside the home where the explosion occurred. Witnesses say that the house was completely immersed in flames.
The person has yet to be identified by investigators.
Ewing Police Lt. Ron Lunetta told the Los Angeles Times that the aftermath was quite “devastating” to see. He then added that at least the explosion occurred during the daytime when few people were in the area.
The video below shows raw footage of the aftermath:
Image via YouTube