A utility worker was injured Saturday morning during a gas explosion that caused a fire at a home in Needham, Massachusetts.
The fire department encountered heavy flames upon arrival at the Prince Street house, officials said. Eversource crews responded just after 8 a.m. to secure the scene and were working alongside police officers and firefighters.
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The utility company said a contractor crew was performing planned natural gas work at the home when the explosion and subsequent fire occurred, significantly damaging the home and injuring the worker.
The injured worker was taken to a local hospital for treatment and has since been released, the state fire marshal's office said.
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Eversource says this was an isolated incident and that the fire did not affect any nearby areas.
The state fire marshal's office determined through their investigation that the explosion and fire were accidental, a result of damage to a gas service connection to the home during utility work at the scene Saturday morning.
Neighbors told NBC10 Boston that they instantly knew something was wrong when they heard the explosion.
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“I was in bed asleep and the whole house shook and I went oh my gosh,” one man said.
“There was smoke everywhere. It seemed like there were already some emergency vehicles here and then there were the workers that had been doing work on this street for about a week or two and they seemed very panicked because of what had happened, and it was unclear if there was anyone actually in the house,” another neighbor said.
Fortunately, the residents were not home at the time of the fire but were later contacted about what happened, officials said. Neighbors tell NBC10 Boston that the wife had just traveled internationally, the husband was out of town with some friends, and the couple's son was out for the day.
The family's house has since been knocked down because the foundation of it was no longer strong enough to hold up the home. A large pile of debris was all that remained Saturday night of what some say was the nicest home on the street.
People were asked to avoid the area and road closures were in place Saturday while this was all happening.
