About 25 years ago there was a convenience store blown sky high by a gas explosion in NJ — either Plainfield or North Plainfield. My father could see the fire easily and he was in Manhattan — over ten miles I think.
Yep, we were outside at recess when a residence 10 blocks away from the school went up due to a gas explosion. A thunderous boom and we could clearly see airborne debris from our vantage point. Across the street from the house was a corner market/liquor store. The blast blew out the windows of the store along with most of their stock. Hours later, on our way home, we drove by the scene, the smell of booze was almost overpowering.
Out of curiosity I looked up the location on google maps. A hispanic market is where the house once stood, ( It’s a corner lot, probably too valuable to rebuild a home on), a bank now resides where the market/liquor store once stood.)