A few hours after the beginning of 2023, a forceful suspected gas explosion demolished two row houses in Philadelphia and damaged an entire block of nearby homes. The explosion injured five people, one of them seriously.
Philadelphia Fire Department officials said the blast happened at around 3 am on Sunday, January 1, in Northeast Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood.
The blast reduced two houses to rubble, and other homes had their windows blown out. It was so forceful, it sent cars flying as it pushed them from the street and scattered debris everywhere.
Charles Walker, the Assistant Fire Chief, said that two people who were close by when the explosion happened were buried beneath the rubble, but they managed to free themselves, although officers from the fire department had to dig out one person from the rubble.
A 65-year-old man was reportedly critically injured, and a 60-year-old woman suffered critical burns. Police said there were five victims, with at least two in stable condition.
Fire Chief Walker said it was fortunate that no one died, given the size of the explosion and the fact that it happened at night while everyone was asleep.
Chris Heisenger, one of the people who witnessed the explosion, told a news outlet that he and his girlfriend were driving down the street when the blast happened. He said that as he got out of his car, he walked over debris and concrete piles. He told the outlet that the experience was imprinted on his mind, and he remembers everything, including the smell of the debris.
Heisenger said that he had been driving to Wawa to get a late-night snack with his girlfriend when the explosion happened.
Fire Chief Walker said that if the explosion is confirmed to have been from a gas leak, it was extremely rare for that type of damage to occur and not have any loss of life, terming it as “truly a blessing” that it wasn’t worse.
A neighbor said the explosion sounded like a bomb and shook her house. She said it was an experience she couldn’t put into words and that she couldn’t get out of her front door.
Another neighbor, Tim Bolli, compared the scene to a war zone. He said there was debris falling from the sky. He ran up the street and found a car twisted up in the middle of the street.
The neighbors came together to help pull victims out of the rubble, with many feeling extremely lucky to be alive as crews searched through the rubble for survivors.
The passerby, Heisenger, was especially thankful for life, saying that after his experience, he would never take anything for granted and would live each day at a time.
Utility crews, city agencies, and the Red Cross were on the scene, assisting residents.
Councilman Mike Driscoll said they would get the neighborhood cleaned up and ensure everyone had housing, and basic needs, including medication.