STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Fire Chief Jack Johnson was standing outside a home under renovation near the Jersey shore in the neighborhood where residents had reported a strong smell of natural gas Tuesday morning.
The rotten-egg smell of the substance added to odorless gas to warn people of a leak hung heavy in the air and was beginning to permeate the Stafford Township homes.
–
The cause of the 10:32 a.m. explosion has not been determined. The blast occurred about an hour and a half after police received the first report of the strong gas smell. Emergency crews and gas company personnel responded and began evacuating 75 to 100 nearby homes.
About 300 homes remained without gas service Tuesday evening; some were also without electricity. Michael Kinney, a spokesman for New Jersey Natural Gas, said crews planned to work through the night to make repairs and hoped to restore service by Wednesday morning.
