Multiple people were trapped following the explosion. Watch video
ELIZABETH - A gas explosion in a two-family house on Magnolia Avenue Wednesday killed one person and at least 13 others were pulled from the wreckage with various injuries, officials said.
Mayor Chris Bollwage said the 8 a.m. explosion occurred in the second-floor unit, which then pancaked onto the first floor, causing multiple people to be trapped.
Two of those pulled from the building had serious injuries, he said. No information was immediate available about the person killed in the blast.
"We're lucky there wasn't a fire," said Elizabeth Fire Chief Tom McNamara. "This could have been much worse."
A house explosion in Elizabeth Wednesday morning caused multiple injuries. (Photo courtesy of @lulune6c) At 10 a.m., Bollwage said rescuers do not believe additional people are trapped in the debris, but the search was ongoing.
The two homes adjacent to the home that exploded were also severely damaged and may have been blown off of their foundations in the blast, McNamara said.
The house at 1035 Magnolia Avenue, where the explosion happened, had two rental units, and an apartment in the garage, according to Kayon Pryce, who lives next door.
"It sounded like a plane crash and I thought it was because we are so close to the airport," said Pryce who lives in the house next door. "I was on the phone and the phone blew out of my hand. The explosions pushed me out of bed and the TV flew off a stand into me."
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Pryce said every window in his home was blown out and the floors were tilted, but he was able to move through the damage to get out. He rents the second unit of his building to a family of three and then made sure they were able to escape. The mother, father and young child were taken to a local hospital for treatment, he said.
The houses are relatively new construction, built in 2003, Pryce said.
Residents from as far as three blocks said they felt their houses shake.
"I was sleeping, felt the whole house shaking, woke up, and thought it was an earthquake," said Guillermo Tavares, who lives on East Grand and Catherine streets.
Utility crews were securing power lines knocked down by the blast and Elizabethtown Gas crews were on the scene.
Multiple fire departments responded and the Metro USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team, which includes firefighters from 10 departments in seven counties, was on the scene.
Displaced residents from all three homes are being assisted by the Red Cross, operating out of the Second Macedonia Baptist Church on Fairmount Avenue.
A photo after the explosion and an image taken from Google Earth before the explosion. (Photo courtesy of @lulune6c and Google Earth)