The fire happened on Budhollow Lane when a transformer apparently blew, snapping power lines that ignited a home.
"I saw an explosion. It was the transformer. It exploded and the fire travelled along the lines of the fence and ignited the house on fire," said neighbor Angela Adams.
Sonja Roberts explains, "The tree had fell on the wires, and I guess once it hit the fence, that's what caused the explosions. That literally sounded like firecrackers."
Edmond Wilson, who shot video of the arching wires, tells Action News, "Around 8:15 the fire trucks got here. But they couldn't do anything because they had to wait for PSE&G to get here to shut off the power."
In the meantime the fire grew - starting in a garage and spreading through the house.
Firefighters temporarily evacuated neighbors and instructed them to wait in their cars.
Homeowner Rose Dun was at work when the blaze broke out. She rushed home to find out it was her house on fire.
The entire neighborhood was without power all day, and next door neighbor Lauren Lindsey might be without it for a week.
Lindsey says, "They said our house took a shock - we were exposed to it. So, like, our wires are fried inside, our electrical sockets, everything. They're saying they can't give us any power – electric, gas, water, anything."
Not until the electric system gets checked out and replaced.
As for Rose Dun, the fire victim, she says she has relatives in the area that she can stay with.
