Explosion at vacant home in Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) -- No one was hurt when a vacant home exploded and caught fire in Bridgeport Wednesday.

It happened at a single family home at 876 Merritt St., near Park Ave., around 10:45 a.m.

As dozens of firefighters put out the flames at the vacant Bridgeport home, Assistant Chief Christopher Martin is thinking "if they smell something, or see something they have to call."

Martin says a neighbor smelled gas about an hour before the explosion, but didn't call.

"We probably would've gotten here and been able to shut the gas off in the house," Martin said.

Once there was a boom, the 9-1-1 calls came in. Martin says the fire was put out quickly, but because they couldn't shut the gas off right away, the fire was still going in the basement.

"I don't think the elderly people would've gotten out," Joan DiMatteo said.

DiMatteo, who lives next door says an elderly couple and their son moved out about two months ago and the home is now vacant. She says just yesterday morning, she noticed something strange at the home.

"I should've called the cops," she said. "I think somebody got in the basement, a drifter, and may have started the fire because I did see that light yesterday."

"I don't know at this time whether it was accidental or somebody trying to enter the building trying to recover copper pipe or anything along those lines," Martin said.

Another neighbor tells News 8 that a similar situation happened at a home across the street, so when he heard the loud boom at the house across the street, he got nervous.

"It's getting real weird," Jack Defilippo said.

Defilippo is starting to see a pattern with vacant homes.

"That one, two to three weeks, then it lit on fire, then this one, two to three weeks and it lit on fire."

Like DiMatteo, he too noticed something going on at the home recently.

"He was in a white car, and he ran into the house, he was in there for five minutes and came out and took off on the sidewalk and sped off and just left," Defilippo said.

Once again, firefighters say if you see something or smell something you have to call them.