One person died and 13 were injured when an explosion caused a mutli-family dwelling in Elizabeth to collapse Wednesday.
The 8 a.m. blast left two people with serious injuries.
"We're lucky there wasn't a fire," Elizabeth Fire Chief Tom McNamara told NJ.com. "This could have been much worse."
"It sounded like a plane crash and I thought it was because we are so close to the airport," neighbor Kayon Pryce said about the 8 a.m. blast. "I was on the phone and the phone blew out of my hand. The explosions pushed me out of bed and the TV flew off a stand into me."
Officials said the explosion came from the second floor unit, which caused a pancake collapse. Several residents were trapped and removed by firefighters.
Residents who live three blocks away said they felt the blast.
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