Hampton, NJ – A woman’s body was found in the basement of the home on New Road that exploded this morning, State Police Spokesman Sgt. Adam Grossman said.
State Police are not releasing the identification of the woman at this time, saying the body will be identified by medical examiner’s office pending an autopsy. The body is believed to be a woman’s based on reports from the community.
A neighbor reported the explosion to authorities at 6:58 a.m., Grossman said, and police responded to the scene within minutes.
Neighbors in the area said that a man and woman lived in the home, and that while the man was not home at the time of the explosion, the woman was inside.
The house at 74 New St. is owned by George R. Tully, according to property records. That information was first reported by The Express-Times. Tully is also the name on the mailbox.
Neighbors said they could hear and feel the blast from the explosion down the street and on other roads in the area.
Angela Patterson, who lives on Foss Avenue, described waking up to her bed and furniture shaking.
“It shook more than the earthquake that happened just last year,” she said.
Larissa Bumback, who shares a duplex with Patterson, said the both went outside to see what happened.
“There was a woman trying to call (the victim) because she knows her, and while we were there a woman came running through the backyard crying because she was a friend of hers. I mean it’s tough, it’s tough to see,” Bumback said.
“We were very fortunate that they were able to contain the fire,” Patterson said, describing their home as 2,000 feet away from the explosion.
Bumback said she could smell gas in the air. “What else could cause an explosion so big?” she said.
Elizabethtown Gas was immediately notified of the fire, and said in a statement that its first responders were on the scene with 15 minutes. The house does not receive natural gas service, the company said, but it had staff remained on the scene to provide assistance.
“It shook more than the earthquake that happened just last year.”
“No gas line that runs through the house,” Grossman said, “but the house is equipped with large propane tank.
When asked about the possibility of propane being related to the explosion, Kearns said “everything is a possibility at this point,” and said they will continue to investigate the scene.
The State’s Department of Environmental Protection is now at the scene, after authorities discovered a 275 gallon heating oil tank located in the basement that was leaking fuel, according to State DEP Spokesman Larry Hanja.
“Contents were discharged and flowing offsite into septic system,” Hanja said, adding that is not involved in the investigation, but rather only responding to the fuel leak.
Peter Winter, who lives at the other end of New Road near the Hampton elementary school, said he walked up to the other end of the block to check out his brother’s home.
“My brother lives next to the house that burned, and walking up we could see the flames, and we weren’t sure what house it was,” Winter said.
His brother, Warren Winter, said he was watching television when he heard an “enormous bang,” followed by a power outage.
“I went out and I thought somebody hit the telephone pole, and then I saw the debris in the yard and I looked next door and the house was leveled,” Warren Winter said, explaining that the house soon went up in flames.
He said that he was told a cellar window in his home was blown out during the incident and that he smelled gas in his home. State Police at the scene asked him to stay out of his home until they could secure the area.
Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III thanked the efforts of the first responders, which included five fire departments, numerous emergency squads and other officials, including State Police and the State Police bomb squad. JCP&L was also on the scene.
“Our hearts go out to the family of who we believe to be the victim of this explosion,” Kearns said, asking for prayers for the Hampton community.