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A New Jersey townhouse complex exploded Tuesday afternoon as utility workers were trying to repair a damaged gas line, killing one person and injuring seven others.

The complex on Crockett Lane in Mercer County's Ewing Township exploded as PSE&G crews were working on a gas line damaged by a contractor, the utility said. Smoke could be seen from miles away.

Authorities said 55 units were damaged in the complex. Two utility workers had non-life-threatening injuries and five others were being held for observation, PSE&G said.

Dr. Louis D'Amelio said injuries from the explosion included concussions, broken bones and shrapnel wounds.

The force from the explosion buckled windows in an apartment complex nearby, said resident Marsha Brown, and pictures fell from her walls.

"It felt like a bomb," she said.


She ran to the townhouse complex, saw a home engulfed in flames and two utility workers on the lawn with injuries that apparently included broken bones. She said she saw another worker on a sidewalk crying, being held by a woman.

At least one home was a blackened pile of rubble, and others had damage, including windows that were blown out. Debris was widely scattered, with insulation hanging in some tree branches.

"My body was shaking. I like to say I am calm, but I was shaking," said Brown. "You could feel the flames, everything."

A resident of the complex, Bryan Gentry, drove home minutes after he heard an explosion and as he got closer, saw a black smoke cloud. The fire was intensely hot, he said, and he saw one person walking away from the fire who appeared to be stunned.

"It was just unreal," he said, adding that emergency crews responded "really fast."

Children at a nearby elementary school were instructed to hide under tables and desks for as long as 20 minutes after the loud explosion rocked the area.

"It was like a boom," said 9-year-old Devin Rosario. He said some kids were scared and crying.

Police said all the children in the school were safe.
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