OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — Neighbors on Maple Ave. in Old Saybrook are on edge Thursday after what officials said appeared to be an explosion that sparked a fire at a house.
They told FOX61 News they heard and felt the explosion around 10 p.m. Wednesday night that sent pieces of the home into neighboring yards. A nearby camera caught a loud boom and a quick flash.
"The next thing we heard was this massive explosion, the ground just rumbled," said neighbor Charles Gadon.
After the explosion, the house went up in flames in just seconds.
"It felt like the house collapsed as you see it collapsed on one," said neighbor Sumeet Gandhi. "It’s pretty uncommon here to see something like that."
Before the firefighters got to the scene, neighbors pitched in to help stop the spread of the flames – without much success.
"I saw flames shooting up. I got dressed, I grabbed an 8-pound fire extinguisher and ran over," said neighbor Jack Holland. "We’re all very close-knit and we try to help each other as much as we can."
Firefighters worked through the night to put out the flames and continued into Thursday morning.
"I saw a lot of firefighters out there, they seemed exhausted at times too they were laying on the ground there," said Gandhi.
The man who lived in the house was taken to the hospital. Neighbors said he’s in his 80s and his cat is still missing.
Fire officials are still unsure what happened but said there's no natural gas in the area, just propane gas.
The home was left completely charred with chunks of wood and glass sprayed around nearby homes.
Neighbors said they're grateful the fire department was able to contain the flames before it caused more damage to the neighborhood.
"We’re very fortunate we have a great fire department, a great police department," said Gadon.
The cause of the fire and explosion is still under investigation. The man's injuries are still unknown.
Lindsey Kane is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at Lkane@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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