What to Know
- An abandoned house exploded and collapsed in Newark, injuring one civilian, officials say
- PSE&G confirmed there was a gas leak at the house
- The windows also broke on neighboring houses and witnesses say they saw a man running from the home after it exploded
An abandoned house exploded and collapsed Sunday in Newark where officials confirmed there was a gas leak.
Witnesses described hearing an explosion and seeing a big ball of fire.
"Turned and looked big ball ball of fire and the house came down, "witness Glenn Johnson said.
One civilian was injured and brought to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The outer walls of the house on South Devine Street near Rodwell Avenue were on the ground, revealing the staircase and rooms inside the two-story building.
PSE&G confirmed there was a gas leak and said a fire had been contained. It wasn't yet known if the gas had been turned off.
Local
Witnesses said they saw a man run out of the basement of the burning building and flee. They stopped him and handed him over to police, who took him away in handcuffs.
Police, however, will only say they are holding him on warrants from previous arrests and are investigating whether he was trying to steal from the home.
Neighboring buildings had superficial damage, including broken windows, police said.
