Neighbors claimed to be woken up as the ground shook as a South Jersey house exploded and burst into flames early Monday, leaving at least one person hurt.
“I heard a big boom, I thought it was thunder, I was sleeping, didn’t pay no attention 'til I heard the helicopters,” George Hiles -- who lives near the Battle Lane house in Commercial Township, New Jersey -- said.
The Cumberland County home burst into flames around 4:45 a.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024, New Jersey State Police said. Troopers arrived to find the house engulfed in fire.
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The neighbor Hiles said he saw “smoke and a lot of emergency vehicles.” Firefighters could be seen battling heavy flames coming from the roof of the house.
A fire official on the scene told NBC10's Brenna Weick that there was an explosion.
A 60-year-old man was medevacked from the scene for treatment, state police said. He was being treated for what troopers called "moderate injuries."
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“My uncle’s currently in a burn center and he's got like burns on his face and neck and stuff and being intubated for smoke inhalation. But other than that, as far as we know, he’s fine," Leah Betchner, the victim's niece, said.
Neighbor as far as several blocks away said they felt their houses shake as the fire began.
As SkyForce10 hovered overhead after daybreak, you could see some smoke and flames coming from the badly damaged property. Debris could be seen scattered about the property
“We knew it was a loss, but we did everything we could," Assistant Chief Raymond Klecz with Laurel Lake Fire and Rescue said
The cause of the blast remained under investigation Monday, troopers said.
"It don’t look good," Hiles said.
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