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Watch as New Jersey house explodes, injuring 15

Posted at 8:50 PM, Feb 24, 2015
and last updated 2015-02-24 20:53:13-05

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CNN) -- Fifteen people were treated for injuries after a house exploded Tuesday morning in New Jersey.

There were no fatalities.

According to the mayor of Stafford Township, John Spodofora, utility crews were called to the home because of a gas leak. That's when the house blew up.

Police evacuated between 75 and 100 homes as a precaution.

From the sky, smoke was visible rising from the charred earth where the house once stood.

According to WPIX11 in New York City, the house was located at 59 Oak Ave. in Stafford Township, about 55 miles east of Philadelphia.

WPIX said utility crews arrived at the scene shortly before 9 a.m. to work on an issue at the home after neighbors reported a strong gas smell, Stafford Township police Capt. Tom Dellane said. At about 10:30 a.m., the home burst into flames.

Seven of the injured people were workers from the gas company, six were firefighters and two others were emergency medical service technicians.  Many suffered concussion-like symptoms after the blast, but two utility workers were taken to a trauma center with critical injuries and another was taken to an Atlantic City, N.J., hospital.

Route 9 was closed in both directions in the area and homes in the neighborhood were evacuated while gas lines were shut down.  With temperatures in the single digits, roughly 300 homes still have no gas service and some remained without power as well Tuesday evening.