A downed high voltage line sparked a house fire on Jefferson Avenue during the overnight storms in Edison.

Sparks from the exploding 13,000-volt powerline set Charlie Cruz's home on fire, badly damaging the inside and outside. Cruz says his daughter woke everyone up when the line first fell.

“My daughter came downstairs screaming the telephone pole was on fire,” says Cruz.

Fire, smoke, and water damage impacted both the inside and outside of the home, but Cruz is just grateful he, his wife, and three kids made it out alive.

“Listen, I got my life, that's it,” says Cuz. “It could have been worse. They could have been carrying body bags out of here. They didn't. We walked out ourselves. We got a little bit of clothes and now we get to see another day.”

Cruz says the insurance adjuster told him it’ll be at least a year before all the damage can be repaired. He still says he's planning on taking his family to Maryland today to carry on with his plans of buying a new motorcycle. PSEG workers have made repairs to the fallen line.