Couple are killed as explosion that 'shook everything for miles' destroys PA home - as their daughter races out of her house next door to horrific sight

A couple was killed when a huge gas explosion leveled their home and showered the neighborhood with debris.

The blast totally destroyed the house in Crescent Township, a tiny town northwest of Pittsburgh, about 8.54am on Tuesday and was felt across the area.

All that remained was the burning foundations with a plume of black smoke visible from everywhere in the town and surrounding area.

'We all felt and heard the explosion. You could feel it in your chest,' Allegheny County Division Fire Chief Andrew Tomer said.

'It was complete devastation when we first arrived on scene.'

A couple was killed when a huge gas explosion leveled their home and showered the neighborhood with debris

The exact cause of the explosion has not been determined, but Tomer said there was natural gas and propane on site from a private well.

Local businessman John Bundy said he felt the massive explosion shake the town and rushed to help.

'I ran outside and saw the mushroom cloud so I got in my truck and drove over,' he told DailyMail.com

'It was an end of the world situation, everything was just shredded or on fire, there was nothing left.

'The force of the explosion broke windows and there were huge pieces of two-by-four in neighbors' yards.'

Bundy said he saw a woman rush out of a nearby home with shattered windows holding her baby who said her parents were inside the house when it exploded. 

Firefighters contained hotspots around the house and collected debris as the fire marshals began their investigation, along with Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

Firefighters contained hotspots around the house and collected debris as the fire marshals began their investigation, along with Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The blast damaged at least two nearby houses but no one else was injured.

'It was a massive home explosion. Shook everything for miles,' neighbor Ryan Kennedy wrote online.

'Time to pray now that it's not one of our kids' friends' houses and hopefully nobody was at home.'

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it was also responding to the explosion. 

'DEP's oil and gas inspectors have arrived on scene to investigate and are coordinating with the Public Utility Commission, local and county emergency management agencies and the AC Fire Marshal's office,' it said.