A New Haven woman is lucky to be alive after her next door neighbor's home exploded and burst into flames on Saturday morning.
The Santos family was at home at 305 Howard Ave. when the explosion and escaped right before it collapsed.
Nicole, a single mom who didn't want to share her last name, woke up to fierce flames just feet away from her home and barely had time to react.
“I heard screams. I felt heat and looked to my right. The home was engulfed in flames. I heard kids screaming, 'Help us,'” she said.
Nicole grabbed her two young kids and got out as fast as she could — "with bare feet and pajamas on,” Nicole said.
Seconds later, the fire had jumped to her house and she and her family were trapped.
"Neighbors were coming from all angles, trying to get me and my kids over the fence. It was a real scary situation to be in,” Nicole said.
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It was especially scary for Nicole, who realized she has to look for a new place to live, because her home was also destroyed.
"It's very devastating. We lost all material items, but at least we have our lives,” she said.
On Monday, crews spent hours demolishing what was left of the home that exploded. Investigators still did not know what caused the blast.
Neighbors told NBC Connecticut the power went out that morning, and they heard the explosion immediately after it came back on. Firefighters said it was unclear if those reports were related.
"We have to move on. Life is not going to stop because we had a fire,” Nicole said. She admitted starting over will be a challenge, but said there’s something everyone can take away from this tragedy.
"At least we still have our lives. Hold onto your family. Hold them close, because you never know,” Nicole said.
