Explosion levels home in Westfield, New Jersey. Video shows damage left behind.

Gas leak eyed as possible cause of New Jersey house explosion

WESTFIELD, N.J. -- A house exploded and the wreckage burst into flames overnight in Westfield, New Jersey. 

Police say it may have been caused by a gas leak. Emergency crews and the gas company are still on the scene investigating. 

Explosion rocks Tudor Oval neighborhood

A house exploded and burst into flames overnight in Westfield, New Jersey.  CBS New York

The house exploded around 10:15 p.m. Monday on Tudor Oval, sparking a raging fire. By daybreak, video showed the roof on the ground and debris scattered all over the yard. 

"We just heard like a big boom, and we came outside to check it out," one neighbor said on the scene. "Then, we ended up just seeing a little fire, but before the fire department got here, it ended up just blowing up a lot bigger."

"We heard a loud boom, explosion. It sounded like a car exploded out front, so we came out front to look at it," said neighbor Maria Logrippo. "We came to our driveway, turned around, and then saw flames and the neighbor just screaming, 'fire, it's a fire, call 911!'"

"Scary, everybody was nervous" 

No one was inside the house, and no injuries were reported. Neighbors said they don't think anyone has lived there for the past 15 years. 

"Thank god there's nobody inside. A few years, nobody live in that house," another neighbor added. "Scary, everybody was nervous." 

They also said the home did not appear to be taken care of.

"Debris, you know, when you see the overgrown, people have called the town to do work to clean up. Boxes will be left, old cars will be left in the driveway," Logrippo said. "Not well kept."

Union County officials and Elizabethtown Gas say the area is safe, but some neighbors decided to evacuate while the cause remains under investigation. 

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.