2 severely burned in Woodbridge home explosion, fire

<p>Two people were severely burned and several others were injured after a home exploded and burst into flames Saturday morning.</p>

News 12 Staff

Apr 21, 2018, 4:03 PM

Updated 2,208 days ago

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Two people were severely burned and several others were injured after a home exploded and burst into flames Saturday morning.
Al Odenis tells News 12 that he was mowing his lawn across the street from a Woodbridge home when he heard a loud explosion just before 10 a.m.
Neighbors described the scene as mayhem, with huge flames, black smoke and a shell of a house by the time firefighters arrived on scene.
The fire crews arrived within minutes of the fire starting, but the fire managed to burn down the house, according to neighbors.
“Within moments the whole house was just engulfed in flames,” he says. Odenis goes on to describe watching someone being dragged out of the home and across the street.
News 12 has learned that neighbor Anthony Hart was the individual who pulled a man, who is also an amputee, from the flames.
Woodbridge emergency officials say the man who Hart pulled out was airlifted to St. Barnabas for third-degree burns. Several other family members suffered minor injuries.
Neighbors say a large family lived in the house and reportedly, one of the children said they smelled gas for the past few days.
Fire Capt. Richard Fritzsch says the bravery of quick-acting neighbors helped save lives.
Fire investigators say it is too soon to determine what caused the explosion. They are working on determining the cause.


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