HAYMARKET, Va. — Two Prince William County families are grateful to be alive after their home exploded Tuesday night.
The home is located on Colby Hunt Court, near the intersection of Piedmont Vista Drive inside the Piedmont A Golf Community in Haymarket.
Two families lived inside the home. They had been evacuated about an hour before the explosion.
"Honestly just to see everything go away in an instant, you realize you have nothing," said Jarret Struniak.
He told WUSA9 that he, his fiancé, young daughter, and two cats moved into the home in April. They lived there with his best friend, his wife, their young son, and their dog.
On Tuesday afternoon, they had a contractor at the home to repair a water main break.
“They hit a gas line and we were told to come out of the house," said Struniak.
Struniak said that within an hour Washington Gas arrived at the home.
"Ten minutes later the house was on fire," said Struniak.
The Prince William County Fire Department says reports of a gas leak in the area came in just after 4:15 p.m. A short time later, crews called for a second-alarm fire.
At 5:36 p.m. fire units were on the scene when the home exploded. That same unit evacuated the home earlier.
“I literally watched the whole front of the house collapse on top of our cars and yard," said Struniak.
WUSA9's Katie Lusso spoke with the owner of the home who does not live there, and he told us that a licensed plumber was at the house working to replace a water line. When pulling the water line out, the plumber broke a two-inch main gas line causing the leak.
The explosion shook the entire community. Many neighbors had already been stopping by, because of the commotion from the emergency crews responding to the gas leak.
"I had just sat down," said John Sivori, the HOA President.
He told WUSA9 he had come by to check on his neighbors and had just returned home.
“All of a sudden, an explosion," said Sivori.
He was shocked when he saw the destruction.
“I could hear a big boom and felt the entire house shaking," said Robbie Karas, who lives nearby.
"I heard my mom yell. I stopped what I’m doing, run upstairs and looked out the window, saw the fire going, the house collapse," he told WUSA9.
Struniak told WUSA9 he was grateful his family and neighbors had already been evacuated. Unfortunately, three of their pets were still missing as of Tuesday night.
"We did lose really good pets and nothing is ever gonna replace them, but no human lives were lost and that’s the biggest thing no one was hurt. Everything else is just physical items that can be replaced. You work hard for them but they can still be replaced," he said.
He said getting back on their feet will be difficult but said they are strong people.
"Every day we’re out at work and now we don’t even get to enjoy the comfort of our own home," said Struniak.
He explained that what has given him hope, is the outpouring of support from his neighbors and the community.
“To the community, I really appreciate every single one of you guys, you guys have been amazing," said Struniak.
On Tuesday night, the HOA for the neighborhood sent out this message to the community:
Dear Association Members,
We're aware of the gas-related house explosion that occurred in the community earlier this evening. Our general manager was still on-site at the time of the explosion and was able to make contact with the home's occupants at the scene and offer assistance, as was our president. Our hearts go out to them. We will be standing up a relief/support effort very soon and will be sharing the details with you so you can participate. We encourage you all to join us in praying for those affected by this tragedy tonight, and we look forward to coming together as a community to support them.
The Prince William County Fire Department told WUSA9 that a total of eight homes in the immediate area will have their natural gas service disrupted for up to two days. They said several vehicles were also damaged by flying debris.
Washington Gas released a statement Tuesday night, saying:
"Washington Gas is aware of the incident in Haymarket, Virginia. Our personnel responded to assist the fire department on the scene. The safety of our customers and community is our top priority. We are supporting the active response to the incident and do not have further details to share at this time."
In February, 12 people were injured and one firefighter was killed when a home exploded in Sterling, Virginia. The explosion happened after a 500-gallon underground propane tank was leaking. Firefighter Trevor Brown, 45, was killed in the explosion.