Two people were injured following a house explosion in Janesville Monday night, according to the Janesville Fire Department. Firefighters were sent to a fully-engulfed house fire on the 800 block of Hawthorne Avenue at 9:15 p.m.
Janesville Fire Battalion Chief Ron Bomkamp said one of the duplex's tenants reported they smelled gas by the water heater for several days. Bomkamp said one tenant came downstairs Monday, lit a cigarette, and then the house exploded.
"We were sitting out having a fire and we heard a big boom," said Brooke Doan, who lives in the neighborhood. "Above the trees there was a big ball of fire and then smoke. It was probably the scariest thing I've ever witnessed."