A house explosion in Northern New Jersey Tuesday evening physically shook the community there and in the surrounding towns. The home was in Hardyston in Sussex County and only rubble remains of the house after the explosion ripped it to shreds and a fire burned what was left.
Authorities said nobody was injured in the explosion and that no one home when it happened around 11 p.m. EST Tuesday. The house next door suffered window damage as did the high school nearby. Debris from the explosion traveled miles. One person two miles from the explosion said fiberglass insulation landed on their street, NorthJersey.com reported.
The Wallkill Valley Regional High School had structural damage, according to the Hardyston Township Volunteer Fire Department. A note on the school's website said that the school would be closed Wednesday. The Board of Education meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday was canceled as well and rescheduled for December. It was unclear whether classes would resume Thursday or if the damage would be resolved by then.
"House is a total loss," said a Facebook post from the Fire Department. The explosion was felt for miles around the Grumm Road home and the cause of the fire was still under investigation Wednesday morning.
The explosion happened just after 11 p.m. and the responding authorities had cleared the scene by 2 a.m. EST Wednesday. The Jefferson Chronicle wrote on Facebook that it was possible that propane tanks near the home were leaking and caused an explosion, but authorities from the fire and police departments have not confirmed those tanks as the cause.
Some residents in the surrounding towns thought the noise and shaking from the explosion was strong thunder or an earthquake. Some people even called their local police officers to report the noise and shaking the explosion caused.
Vernon Police posted on Facebook that the department was aware of the explosion that people felt and heard and that it was under investigation Tuesday night.
All residents be advised that Vernon Police and Hardyston Police are aware of the loud explosion everyone felt and heard. This incident is currently being investigated,
Posted by Vernon Police on Tuesday, November 27, 2018
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