A house exploded early Sunday in Piscataway and the homeowner was burned, but survived the fiery blast, witnesses said.
The house on Hopkinson Avenue was completely leveled. The burned-out shell of a car could be seen amid the smoldering remains.
Mayor Brian Wahler said gas appears to be the cause, citing "the size of the explosion - the house was blown off its foundation. And there's literally nothing left of the house."
The homeowner, who is a municipal worker for a nearby town, was blown outside of the house by the force of the blast, officials said.
Wow !!!! Piscataway pic.twitter.com/d4KTqGSB03
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He was critically injured with second-degree burns, firefighters say.
"I ran out and I saw my neighbor, Jim, falling out of the debris with flames all around him," David Pirozzi said.
The victim quickly moved a truck away from the flames, then collapsed on the lawn, Pirozzi said. Neighbors moved him onto another lawn farther from the flames.
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"It sounded like thunder, it woke me up out of a dead sleep," said another neighbor, John Orlitta. He said the explosion was so loud that it set off car alarms.
