Around 80 UGI customers were without gas service following the explosion early Thursday morning that destroyed a home on Smith Street and killed an 86-year-old woman.

Crews with UGI have been working all night. By 10 p.m., service had been restored to about 20 customers. Utility company officials said service should be fulled restored by Friday afternoon.

There was no information available as to when residents whose homes were evacuated Thursday will be allowed to return to their homes.

Madlyn M. Mecca, 413 Smith St., was leaving her home shortly before 4 a.m. because police and firefighters evacuated the area, due to a heavy odor of natural gas. A neighbor, whom state police did not identify, was moments away from picking Mrs. Mecca up. Mrs. Mecca waited on her front porch for her neighbor, but natural gas had seeped into her home and some ignition source had turned on, sparking a fire and an explosion, state police said. Mrs. Mecca was killed immediately.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

— STAFF REPORT