Several injured, building decimated in Newark explosion

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — Several people were injured and homes are destroyed after an explosion in Newark.

It happened shortly after 6 p.m. Friday. The two-floor building managed by Newark Housing Authority on South Pine Lane was decimated. The walls of the building were blown off, leaving a refrigerator and furniture in full display.

Valery Lasky and her son work at a nearby deli.

“He said ‘Ma, a building exploded.’ I ran and looked and saw a guy climbing down the rubble. The owner of the store said there were people all over the ground,” Lasky said.

Newark officials say six people were hurt. Five were taken to area hospitals. One woman suffered from serious burns.

“I actually know the man who is in there. His name is Mario, and I just hope he is going to be okay,” Lasky added.

At least 13 families are now displaced. The destruction is hard to wrap your head around, especially for one woman who used to live there.

“Then I got a phone call from her telling me that my apartment I lived in blew up, so I got dressed and the whole building was just in pieces,” she said.

Investigators are now working to figure out how something like this could happen.

“No, we don’t have any information about where the explosion started, what unit it started from, this is an ongoing investigation,” said Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage.

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