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http://www1.whdh.com/slideshows/view/HydeParkHouseExplosionBOSTON -- A homeowner is looking for answers after an explosion destroyed his Hyde Park home Wednesday morning.
A smoking pile of rubble is all that remains of Michael Burns’ Hyde Park home on Reynold Road.
“I wasn’t home. I got a call saying that the house blew up. It’s flattened,” said Burns.
The explosion brought the home to the ground, shattered windows in at least 30 other homes and the closed St. Anne's School.
“It just violently exploded and within seconds there was debris everywhere. The roof completely collapsed on top of it,” said Steve MacDonald, the Boston Fire Department spokesperson.
“It was like an earthquake they tell me,” said Mayor Tom Menino.
Firefighters rushed to the devastation caused when they say a contractor doing work on a water main hit a gas line with a back hoe.
“The gas line then caused the gas meter attached to the house to pull away from the house,” said MacDonald.
Officials said gas built up inside the home, likely hit a pilot light, and then blew.
“All of a sudden the boom happened, shook the house from the cellar to the attic, and we just ran,” said Theresa Filletti, a neighbor.
Boston Mayor Menino’s wife also felt the blast, as Menino’s home is just doors away.
“My wife was there and we talked with her. The house had shaken and there was debris around the neighborhood,” said Mayor Menino.
Dozens of homes were damaged and families were evacuated.
“Obviously we’re here this morning to do whatever we can, as a neighbor and a city councilor to be of assistance to the neighbors,” said Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo.
Fire officials said the contractor who was hired by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission is now under investigation.
The total damage was estimated at $1 million.
The cleanup effort continued into Wednesday night.
They city is offering help to those who have been forced out of their homes, and a community meeting will be held Thursday night.
