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Canton tears down two more homes following natural gas explosion

Canton tears down two more homes following natural gas explosion
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CANTON, Ohio — Twenty-three people remain displaced as cleanup continues and investigators look to determine what exactly caused a natural gas explosion early Thursday morning.

New video shows the moments right after the blast, which woke up the neighborhood and sent residents running for safety around 4 a.m.

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Video submitted to News 5 shows all sots of debris scattered on the roadway as many rushed to safety following the explosion.

It all occurred near the intersection of Bonnot Place NE and West Maple Street.

The explosion was captured on surveillance camera footage.

WATCH:

Surveillance video of Canton explosion

By Thursday afternoon, city leaders tore down several garages and two nearby homes that were pushed off their foundations from the strength of the explosion. Officials have since confirmed no other homes in the neighborhood will need to be torn down.

2 injured after house explosion in Canton

RELATED: 2 injured after Canton house explosion

Firefighters said the explosion scattered debris throughout the neighborhood and brought down multiple power lines, which created additional hazards for emergency responders and residents.

Fire Chief Steve Henderson said the explosion was likely caused by a natural gas leak, although the cause and point of origin are still under investigation.

Neighbor Natalie Gibson, a student at Malone University, said she was fast asleep when she was awakened by the explosion.

"Our whole house shook. I mean our windows were blown in, and I immediately knew something was horribly wrong," Gibson told Good Morning Cleveland Thursday morning.

News 5 checked back in with Gibson Friday.

"Before we just noticed all the windows broken in, but now that our house has settled, we've noticed some cracks in the ceilings and walls," Gibson said. "We have to get it checked out because we didn't expect it to be so bad."

Two men who were inside the vacant home when the explosion occurred remain hospitalized. According to the fire department, one man was transported to the hospital with burns to 80% of his body.

It is not clear why the individuals were inside the vacant home and what exactly caused the natural gas leak.

"We need to speak more with the people that were in the building when the explosion occurred. We need to speak with the witnesses, and we're getting information that helps us with the investigation from the gas company," Henderson said.

It's not clear yet if the two men involved with the vacant home explosion will face criminal charges.