Gas explosion in New Jersey leaves 15 people injured

Gas workers were called to the house after reports of a rotten-egg smell

The moment the explosion destroyed the house

A gas explosion at a house in New Jersey has left 15 people injured and damaged several other buildings in the area.

Among the injured were six fire fighters and seven gas workers, one of whom was left in a critical condition.

Footage of the blast in Ocean County was captured by a police car dashboard camera that was near the scene at the time.

In the video, the huge explosion completely destroys the house and sends debris soaring into the air. Only the foundations of the house are reported to have survived.

Resident Melissa Lewis said, "I saw pieces of house floating all over my yard."

"The insulation was all over the place and you could see the ambulances and people running around and there were big flames coming from the house," she told NBC10.

Police and firefighters were initially called to the unoccupied house on Tuesday morning to investigate an odour about an hour and a half before the blast occured. Once the rotten-egg smell was confirmed as a gas leak 75 homes were evacuated.

The explosion happened as officials from the New Jersey Natural Gas Company were investigating further.

Fire Chief Jack Johnson described the moment of the blast, "It happened so quickly, the explosion, debris all around us coming from nowhere."

"It knocked you off your feet, a shock wave, the concussion of it. It's something I never want to experience again," he said to the Associated Press.

The cause of the explosion has still not been established and around 300 homes were without gas yesterday evening and some were left without electricity. The authorities are hoping to restore gas and power today.

Additional reporting from agencies