LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (AP) — A 92-year-old woman was killed in a house explosion Tuesday at 91 Bedford Avenue in Lackawanna that damaged at least six other homes, fire officials said. Authorities later identified the victim as the home’s occupant, Irene Sanok.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation, Lackawanna Fire Chief James Fino said.

Crews responded to reports of power outages and burning debris in the road about 7:20 a.m.

“Upon initial arrival, we had a pretty big debris field... There was some fire,” Fino said.

At mid-morning, piles of smoking wood, downed power lines and other debris filled the lot where the house stood. A mattress rested on a neighboring home’s roof.

National Grid said 544 customers lost power.

"The City of Lackawanna extends its condolences to Mrs. Sanok’s family and asks the community to keep her and her family in their thoughts and prayers," Lackawanna city officials said in a press release.

Panic set in for Heather Gulas-Karaszewski, who lives directly across from the home that exploded.

“I grabbed my cats [and] stuck them in a carrier,” she said. “I grabbed my medication…my purse and my stuff that I needed. Yeah, I grabbed my wedding dress too, and my veil.”

Her neighbor Mike Salamone described a similar scene. 

"I woke up, made my coffee, went to the front room [and] opened my blinds, and that’s when the explosion happened,” he said. “I saw a big white flash, was taken back, saw debris flying around, and once the smoke cleared, I saw the home across the street was leveled.”

He’s a volunteer firefighter and jumped into action.

“I immediately got my turnout gear on, went out and checked the homes, made sure no one was hurt, and told them to get out,” he explained. 

“He told me, he said, ‘Heather, you’ve gotta get out of here, just grab what you need, you’ve gotta get out.’ I said, 'I’ve gotta get my cat, and my medication.' It’s hard to digest in your brain when you’re trying to grasp that.”

Both were displaced from their homes temporarily as first responders worked to knock down the flames.  

Heather says she’s grateful her son wasn’t home.

"I have a 1-year-old son, thankfully he wasn’t here,” she said. “He would have been traumatized.”