Authorities believe a massive gas explosion was responsible for leveling most of a 9,000-square-foot house in Pennsylvania Sunday night.
Police said that an apparent gas leak led to the explosion which demolished about 75 per cent of a Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, mansion shortly after 8pm on Sunday.
The multimillion-dollar, six-bedroom home was under renovation at the time of the blast. Fortunately, the homeowners — who have not yet been identified — were inside the 2.4-acre property’s guest house and no injuries were reported, according to NBC Philadelphia.
A suspected gas leak-related explosion flattened 75 per cent of a Pennsylvania mansion Sunday night, festooning neighboring trees and the lawn with debris
The sound from the explosion was said to have been heard across the township and resulted in at least one home suffering damage to a window pane
However, it was reported that rubble from the home were strewn around the lawn, while debris landed in neighbors’ trees.
A PECO energy company spokesperson told the Delaware County Daily Times that PECO crews arrived at the home at about 8.45pm Sunday to turn off the gas.
The energy crews, police and other first responders were also at the scene Monday morning.
The spokesperson also told NBC Philadelphia that no additional gas leaks would pose any public threat.
The booming noise from the explosion was said to have been heard across the region, while the force from the explosion caused damage to nearby homes.
The 9,000-square-foot home (pictured prior to explosion) was under renovations at the time of the explosion and its occupants were living in a guest house on the property
Energy company crews arrived on the scene to turn off the gas shortly after the explosion
Authorities said they don’t believe foul play was involved in the explosion, but noted that the fire marshal and ATF would be investigated the incident
Across the street neighbor Peter Cooke, 80, told The Inquirer that he had never heard anything as loud as the explosion, but that when he looked outside, he didn’t see any fire. Cooke’s son, Michael, 30, said that the family ‘thought a meteor had gone off or something.’
Meanwhile, Steve Liebowitz, 60, whose home is about a half mile away from the exploded mansion, said that the sound was so loud and sounded so nearby that he first thought his backyard grill had exploded. His 12-year-old son, Chase, thought it might’ve been a gunshot.
‘In today’s world, you don’t know what kind of explosion happened or whether it was a gunshot,’ Liebowitz said, noting that they were ‘actually afraid’ of the noise.
And, on social media, tweeter Larry Borden, wrote that he ‘Lost a window pane in the explosion’ and also posted a clip from his surveillance camera revealing what the explosion sounded like from his home. It’s unclear exactly how far away he lives from the house that was destroyed, however.
Local police said that the explosion could be heard ‘township wide,’ while ABC 6 reported that 911 calls about the blast noise came in from neighboring state New Jersey.
Authorities do not believe that foul play was involved in the explosion, but the fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are said to be investigating what happened.