House explodes in South Jersey, at least one person injured

A house exploded in South Jersey early Monday morning, and at least one person was hospitalized with injuries from the blast.

The single-family home in Commercial Township, about 45 miles south of Philadelphia, exploded around 5 a.m., local NBC affiliate WCAU reported.

Firefighters responded to the scene and battled a heavy blaze that erupted after the explosion, according to on-the-ground and helicopter video from WCAU. The fire appeared to be contained shortly after sunrise.

First responders transported one unidentified person from the scene to a local hospital with burn injuries, WCAU reported. Neighbors in the area said they felt the ground shake around the time of the explosion.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion, and the home’s owner has not been publicly identified.

Monday morning’s incident was the third structural explosion in New Jersey in May. In Old Bridge, a chemical explosion at a commercial building killed a 73-year-old woman, Eileen Marko, and injured four other people on May 1. That blast occurred at Superior Signal Company, which manufactures smoke generators and ultrasonic equipment.

One day later, a home exploded in South River, killing a man and injuring his son. The deceased victim was identified as Kevin Gilbert, 62, a retired police officer who worked in Newark for decades. Investigators have not publicly stated the cause of the explosion that killed Gilbert, though officials suspected a gas leak and shut off local gas lines.

Old Bridge and South River both sit in Middlesex County, about 90 miles north of Commercial Township and 30 miles south of Manhattan.

Such home explosions are often caused by gas leaks, but last week a Baltimore-area man was arrested in connection with a home explosion in Essex, Md. Police said he blew up his estranged wife’s residence.