5 hospitalized after explosion at New Jersey home; cause is unknown

Five people were transported to hospitals after an explosion at a home in New Jersey on Friday night, police said. The victims' conditions were unknown as of Saturday morning, CBS New York reported. 

The house in West Milford was heavily damaged by the explosion around 9 p.m., the West Milford Police Department said in a statement shared on social media. Neighbors in the area told CBS New York that they heard a loud bang. 

West Milford Deputy Fire Chief Rich Poplaski said the structure collapsed as a result of an "unknown cause," northjersey.com reported. An Urban Area Search Initiative Task Force responded to the scene, police said, along with multiple fire departments. 

Photos from the scene show the house in pieces, with rescue crews searching through the rubble. A CBS New York correspondent said on Friday night that the "roof of that building is basically demolished" and "torn off," with exposed insulation on surrounding cars. 

Police said the victims were transported by helicopter, including two to Morristown Medical Center, one to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, one to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and one to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

A sixth person at the scene refused additional medical treatment, police said.

West Milford is located about 33 miles north of Morristown, New Jersey, and 48 miles northwest of New York City.

The explosion is under investigation by West Milford detectives and the fire marshal's offices from the town and state, police said.

In:
• Health
• New Jersey