Explosion demolishes Hardyston home; blast heard and felt miles away

BY ERIKA NORTON
HARDYSTON — A massive explosion demolished a home on Grumm Road in Hardyston Tuesday night, with witnesses on social media claiming to have heard and felt the blast from as far as 30 miles away.
According to the Hardyston police, the explosion happened at 11:05 p.m. at 33 Grumm Road.
When police arrived at the scene, they found the two-story home was obliterated and debris was dispersed in a southeast direction, with some found on the rear soccer field of the Wallkill Valley Regional High School across the street.
There were no fatalities or injuries, officials said, with no one home at the time of explosion.
The house, however, is a “total loss,” fire officials said.
All units had left the scene as of 2 a.m.
Grumm Road will be closed until further notice, police said. Due to damage to the facade, windows and doors, Wallkill Valley Regional High School will also remain closed until assessments are made.
The cause of the blast is still under investigation, but according to published reports, Hardyston Fire Chief Anthony Ceglia said they believe the explosion may have been caused by a propane tank.
Shaking houses, rattling windowsMany took to social media to see what had happened, after hearing and feeling the blast.
Mark Johnson in Wantage posted on Facebook, “What in the flying frack just happened? There was a huge explosion a few minutes ago that shook our whole house!”
“Around the corner from my house,” posted Rosemarie Marzorati of Hamburg, “Explosion rocked me out of bed. Scary!”
Residents from as far as 20 to even 30 miles away felt the blast, with portions of Passaic and Morris Counties and Orange County, N.Y. saying they felt the boom.
Kristyn Regen posted that they felt the explosion 30 miles away in Ringwood. “My whole house shook and the windows rattled,” she wrote. “Glad no one was in that home when it exploded.”
Douglas Stout of Byram posted that his home shook and they are 17 miles away to the southwest.
In light of the explosion and the fatal carbon monoxide incident in Roxbury Township a few days ago, Vernon Police posted on Facebook encouraging residents to install carbon monoxide alarm and gas detectors in their homes.
”These devices are similar to smoke detectors but do a completely different job to keep your family safe,” police said. “They are easy to install and can purchased at our local hardware stores.”