BERLIN, Mass. - An elderly woman was killed when her house at 71 Pleasant Street in Berlin exploded just before 3:30 a.m Friday. The Worcester County District Attorney's Office identified the woman as 79-year-old Judith (Judy) Christensen.

Neighbors rushed to the scary scene and were able to rescue another woman, Christenses's daughter, who was inside at the time of the explosion. She remains hospitalized as of Friday afternoon.

Berlin fire chief Michael McQuillen said the house is destroyed and the explosion caused cosmetic damage to several other homes in the area. He said this scene was tough for his first responders to deal with. The woman who died was well-known in the community. 

"It's a big impact for a smaller community," McQuillen said. "The residents were well-known in this town. They had long careers here. For the first responders, this is something it's gonna stick with them for a long time. Showing up to something like this, having to extricate friends you know from the rubble and have a tragic outcome that we had, is something that they'll carry with him for a long time."

"We're in the early stages of the origin and cause of the investigation," said state fire marshal Peter Ostroskey. "We're gathering information right now, we're working with the local authorities and relatives to try and gather some additional details as we continue forward with that."

Ostroskey also said there is a large debris field to go through, so this investigation will take time and requires special equipment.