28-Year-Old Man Burned When Gas Explosion Blows Out Garage At Perth Amboy Home
PERTH AMBOY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey man was burned when a gas explosion blew out the garage of his home in Perth Amboy.
Firefighters said the 28-year-old victim was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition.
"I heard a boom, like an explosion, but real loud," one neighbor named Zoila said.
"I heard a bang and I got up, I walked outside and looked across, and I saw a fire," neighbor Kevin Carr added.
As CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported, at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters responded to 911 calss for an explosion on Barry Avenue and discovered a 28-year-old man was hurt.
"Got on location and found one male outside with burns. He was transported to the burn center in stable condition," said Perth Amboy Fire Chief Edward Mullen.
Neighbors watched as the man was treated and then airlifted to the hospital.
"When they took him out of the house, it was so sad. He was shaking. They had to actually douse him," Carr said. "His arms were burned, his legs. God forbid, oh my God."
Officials said one other person lives in the house but was not home at the time.
The force pushed out several exterior walls of the garage and scorched everything inside it, including the dryer. That's being investigated as a possible cause.
"It appears that the area of origin was somewhere on the first floor. We're looking at all the different gas appliances, obviously, due to the vapor explosion," said Mullen.
A resident down the street said her grandkids smelled something off last night, but didn't think to report it.
"They said outside smelled [like] gas. I said go check the garage. He said no not here, but outside smelled like gas yesterday," the woman said.
Officials say the houses next door were not damaged.
The Building Department was on the scene and deemed the home unsafe to reenter.
