A powerful explosion shook a subdivision in Rosedale, Baltimore County, on Tuesday morning. The neighborhood backs up to the northbound lanes of I-95.

Video shows massive flames

Video obtained by WJZ shows flames tearing through the house on Callo Lane as stunned neighbors tried to make sense of what was happening just after 2 a.m.

"A big fireball. I mean, it was like nothing I've ever seen before, almost like a war zone," said neighbor Charles Pulliam. 

Pulliam shared a video knocking on his neighbors' doors as he desperately tried to wake them and warn of the danger.

"I was in shock," Pulliam said. "I didn't know if it was some kind of terror attack or actually what might have been going on."

Pulliam said the people who lived at the house were on vacation in Jamaica. 

No one was injured. 

"It's devastating to come back to nothing, but I guess they have to count their blessings because at least nobody was in the house at the time that it happened," Pulliam said.

More of Pulliam's video shows flames lighting up the night sky. 

The explosion was so powerful, it left a shoe on the neighbor's roof and a mattress in their driveway. Pulliam said it blew the bumpers off a neighbor's truck. 

Because the Rosedale subdivision backs up against I-95, a traffic camera also captured the response.

"It was one really big explosion, then a few smaller ones right behind it, but one that was extremely loud and then pop, pop, pop, pop," Pulliam said.

Dispatch calls 

WJZ Investigates reviewed the initial dispatch calls from first responders. 

"First call described it as an explosion, and the second caller said that the house possibly exploded," one responder said. "I have a house that is completely exploded. We've got fire showing."

Another described the house as "completely on the ground. It's gonna be a defensive operation. Could you go ahead and put a [untelligible] BG&E? Sounds like we may have a gas-fed fire."

BGE, ATF Baltimore on scene

WJZ captured BGE crews checking gas meters in homes along Callo Lane.  The utility said that it is routine after an incident like this. 

"I've seen them go by doing the testing just to make sure there are no gas leaks. ATF came and asked questions—did we know anything about the neighbors," Pulliam said. 

The ATF Baltimore's Field Division was on the scene with a large number of investigators. ATF officials clarified that the National Response Team did not respond to this incident. 

WJZ Investigates spoke to retired ATF Agent Richard Summerfield, who was once part of the National Response Team. 

"An ATF National Response Team is quite literally the best investigative group in the world when it comes to fires and explosions," Summerfield said. "The agents are all very highly trained, years of training in order to be there, and very experienced."

They are typically on the scene for a week, but that can vary based on individual cases. 

The NTSB told WJZ Investigates it was not responding to this incident. They do handle gas pipeline issues. 

The first hours after a disaster are crucial to gather information, and severe storms rolled through the area Tuesday evening. 

"The scene can undergo environmental changes, particularly if you have adverse weather, thunderstorms, particularly," Summerfield said. "…It's just best to get on it while the evidence is fresh."

Past Baltimore-area explosions

There have been several devastating home explosions in the Baltimore area in recent years. 

A blast last August killed two people in Harford County. Investigators have looked at problems with the initial response to a gas odor there and the placement of gas and electric lines. 

In 2020, several townhomes exploded in Northwest Baltimore near the Reisterstown Road Plaza after gas buildup following a non-permitted HVAC repair

And in August 2019, a Columbia shopping center exploded. The federal investigation revealed safety violations with the gas lines.