Broken gas line blamed for Stafford Twp. house explosion
STAFFORD TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Investigators say they have determined the cause of an explosion on Tuesday in Stafford Township, New Jersey that leveled a home.
They say a two-inch gas line at the street had a crack, and gas traveled into and accumulated in a utility room of the house.
The gas collected in the room until it ignited and exploded.
Fifteen people were injured including firefighters, EMTs and NJ Natural Gas employees. Two of the gas employees were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
NJ Natural Gas crews worked overnight into Wednesday morning, headed door-to-door to homes in the Oak Avenue and Cedar Run sections of the township to restore gas service.
Liz Thomas lives two doors down from the blast site. Luckily, she and her one-year-old weren't home at the time of the explosion - but her house was damaged. A structural beam is broken and everything was blown out of the kitchen cabinets.
"A lot of our things broke up, but you know what? It's just things. We could have gotten hurt, so I'm very grateful that nothing worse happened," she said.
Action News was with Tara Johnson and her family as they used firewood to stay warm Tuesday night.
Wednesday morning they were still waiting for their gas to come back on, and barricades near the scene changed their morning routine.
"The school had to change our bus stop," said Johnson. "Obviously it's going to be a hard time for the buses to come down. So we're just going to move right up the block, which isn't bad at all."
Nearly 24 hours after the explosion, Action News was able to see the aftermath up close.
The blast left 300 homes without gas, and some without electricity. But most residents were allowed back in their homes Tuesday night.
Gas crews and first responders were already in the area ahead of Tuesday morning's explosion. They were looking for a gas leak after neighbors reported a foul smell.
In fact, that dash cam video from a Stafford Township police car showed how close they were.
"The police had the area secured before the blast, and that made the whole difference," Mustacchio said," because if they didn't do that, it could have been worse."
Late Wednesday morning police re-opened Oak Avenue, after fixing the roadway on top of the broken gas main.
