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Four people escaped before a house exploded in North Plainfield on Monday night during severe storms that also required dozens of people in the borough to be rescued due to rising flood waters.
The explosion occurred at about 11:25 p.m. on Parkwood Avenue, according to abc7ny.com. No one was injured, but the home was destroyed.
North Plainfield mayor Lawrence La Ronde told the television station roughly another 30 people were rescued on eight different streets.
In neighboring Watchung, which had highest recorded rainfall in the state at 6.51 inches, the borough’s rescue squad said firefighters and police rescued many people from their vehicles during flooding.
First responders worked through the night, the rescue squad said.
A similar story unfolded in nearby Scotch Plains in Union County with borough officials saying “multiple water rescues are being performed all throughout the municipality and the county.”
Residents were told they could shelter in the courtroom at the municipal building and at St. Bartholomew Church, authorities said.
Berkeley Heights also had flooding.
Police chief William Ives said 15 streets were completely inundated. Some roads were damaged as floodwaters washed away portions of asphalt. Police and firefighters made three water rescues. No one was injured.
Summer schools classes and other school-related activities in North Plainfield, Scotch Plains, Warren, and Watchung on Tuesday are cancelled, the districts said on their websites.
Nearly 2,900 New Jersey homes and businesses remain without power on Tuesday morning.
Flooding has receded on nearly all major roads in New Jersey on Tuesday morning after traffic was either slowed or brought to a standstill on Monday evening.
However, Route 22 east in Green Brook is closed and detoured due to emergency repairs. The highway was closed near Washington Avenue around 9 p.m. due to flooding. When the water receded, the road had been damaged.
It is closed for emergency repairs.
Also, Route 28 in Middlesex Borough remains closed in both directions west of Warrenville Road and east of Mountain Avenue, according to 511nj.org, the state department of transportation’s traffic website.
More than 3.75 inches of rain had fallen in Middlesex Borough as of 10:30 p.m, flooding the busiest road in town.
A flood warning for portions of Middlesex and Somerset counties has been extended to 10:15 a.m.
More thunderstorms are possible on Tuesday.
The storms expected to reach the state today will be isolated to scattered, though additional flooding remains possible in affected areas.
New Jersey’s chances for storms this afternoon and evening range from 25 to 50%, the National Weather Service said.
Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to tour storm damage in Berkeley Heights this morning.
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