Gas is being restored in the Haymarket area after a leak led to an explosion that destroyed a home

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (7News) — 7News crews discovered Washington Gas employees at the scene of the house explosion in Haymarket on Wednesday evening, supplying gas to surrounding homes.

Technicians were seen going from property to property checking for any remaining leaks before restarting services.

Neighbors said they were relieved to have service restored, especially to turn the heat back on and stay warm.

MORE | Prince William County home explodes as firefighters respond to gas leak

According to the Prince William County Fire Department, two families were displaced following the explosion Tuesday evening as firefighters were on scene to respond to a gas leak.

Firefighters evacuated the home, where four adults and two small children lived, before the explosion.

Firefighters responded to the 5900 block of Colby Hunt Court for a reported gas leak around 4:17 p.m., officials said. The dispatched unit arrived at 4:25 p.m. and discovered a 2-inch gas line was damaged and leaking. Washington Gas was contacted for assistance at 4:26 p.m. The gas company arrived at the scene at 5:13 p.m

At around 5:36 p.m., firefighters told police that the house had exploded.

The leak was still active at the time of the explosion, officials said.

Prince William County Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Kim Stewart told 7News it all started when a contractor in the neighborhood was digging into the ground to repair a water main.

After an outage, Stewart said the contractor encountered a gas line and it ruptured.

“Today a contractor came by to repair a break in the water line between the meter and the house itself, something that happens all the time,” Struniak said. “Within an hour, Washington Gas showed up. Ten minutes later the house was on fire.”

According to the fire department, the house was completely destroyed.

Officials said it is currently unclear what caused the explosion.

Stewart told 7News that anything with a significant buildup of gas can cause an explosion, even just turning on a light switch.

Officials said there were several possible ignition sources that could have contributed to the incident. The explosion site has been being examined since Wednesday to determine the source of the ignition. A representative from the state Division of Utility and Railroad Safety is also on scene to investigate the incident.