Fifteen people were hurt, two critically, after a house exploded in New Jersey on Tuesday.

The blast, captured by a police dashboard camera, happened at about 10:32 am at 50 Oak Avenue, Stafford Township. Police said, the massive explosion was caused by a ruptured gas line.

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Residents reported a strong smell of gas Tuesday morning.  At 8:55 a.m. police and maintenance workers rushed to the site on Oak Avenue between Perkins Lane and Route 9 as they tried to locate the leak.  Authorities also alerted the New Jersey Natural Gas.

Police went to each house and ordered residents to leave the area immediately. 

About 75 homes were evacuated.  At about 10:32 a.m. a blast ripped through an empty house completely blowing it apart.

"As the gas company was working to localise and mitigate the gas leak there was an explosion that by all accounts totally destroyed the house at 59 Oak Avenue, there's nothing left there but the basement foundation," said Captain Tom Dellane of the Stafford Police Department.

Of the 15 injured, seven were gas company employees, while eight were Stafford firefighters and technicians. 

Stafford Fire Chief Jack Johnson, suffered hearing problems after the explosion. 

Johnson was immediately treated at a nearby hospital, but was later released. 

He was standing about 50 feet away from the house directing his team when the  fireball burst into the sky.

"It happened so quickly, the explosion, debris all around us coming from nowhere," Johnson said. "It knocked you off your feet, a shock wave, the concussion of it. It's something I never want to experience again."

Police closed Oak Avenue as authorities launched a probe into the blast. Natural gas service was also suspended. 

About 300 homes remain without gas  service as of Tuesday night.  The New Jersey Natural Gas appeals for patience as they try to restore gas service through the night. 

TagsNew Jersey, Explosion, Gas Leak