VIDEO: Neighbors in Meadowmere Park first heard the explosion around 6 a.m. Meadowmere Park Fire Chief Kevin Carrero lives in the neighborhood and woke up to the noise.
"It was like a big explosion, like a bomb went off. I thought it was a transformer that blew up but it was just too loud," Carrero said.
The 63-year-old man living inside the home that exploded was airlifted to a hospital, the Nassau County Police Department said in a release. According to police, the man suffered severe burns. Two firefighters from Valley Stream Fire Department also sustained injuries, according to a Nassau County fire marshal. The firefighters were injured after a chimney fell on top of the firefighters, leaving them with bruises and lacerations, police said.
The home identified by officials as the site of the explosion was completely leveled and the homes on either side were severely damaged.