A fatal early morning explosion that obliterated a two-story house and killed a couple jolted people from their beds as much as a mile and a half away, and sent waves of shock and sadness through the small community of Newfield.

"It breaks your heart," said Wayne Ingling, a friend of the couple who lives in nearby North Vineland. "These are people that went to bed last night like everybody else and they don't get to wake up today."

John, 73, and Carole Paladino, 72, were the only people inside the Oakwood Drive home when it exploded around 6:15 a.m., authorities said. Autopsies Sunday would determine the exact cause of death.

Authorities said the cause of the blast is still being determined, but they don't suspect foul play. The call came in as a gas explosion, and gas was temporarily shut off to area homes.

Ingling, a volunteer firefighter in Vineland, said he couldn't believe the destruction he saw when he arrived at the place where the Paladino house used to be, not long after the blast. There was no house, and debris was scattered as far as the eye could see.

"It just looked like ground zero. Mattress parts in the wires and trees. Windows blown out of the other houses," he said. One neighbor found a Christmas card, he said, and someone else found a Medicare letter.

Photographs of the scene showed a thick layer of rubble across the property, insulation hanging from trees, pieces of the walls lying in a pool, and debris scattered on a neighbor's yard and trampoline. A Daily Journal video showed the smoking wreckage.

Ingling said he has known Carole Paladino for around 50 years, as they were in the same class at Vineland High School. He said she went on to become a nurse and then ended up a school nurse in Millville Public Schools, where he also worked until retirement.

They weren't close friends, but would end up chatting whenever school work landed them in the same building. He described her as friendly and well-liked in the school district.

He said she used to teach Catholic religious education at a local Catholic program.

He met John Paladino when they played baseball together as teenagers. Recently, John Paladino worked part-time at DeMarco-Luisi Funeral Home in Vineland, Ingling said.

"He always had a smile on his face, even in trying times, doing that work," he said. "If he saw me cutting the grass he'd pull the car in the driveway and come talk."

Ingling said the Paladinos had children and grandchildren.

Though they live about a mile and a half from the Paladinos, Ingling's wife Maryanne was awoken by the explosion. She called out to him, she said, wondering if the jolt she felt was because he had fallen.

"We got up and look around and we thought it might have been a car accident because we heard sirens," Ingling said. He was listening to his Vineland fire radio but couldn't make out the details of what had happened. Then his daughter called him and told him to turn on the TV, recognizing the wreckage of the Paladinos' home on the news.

"They were good people," Ingling said.

Speculating about a possible gas explosion, neighbors told Philly.com that the couple had a new stove delivered Friday.

South Jersey Gas spokesperson Marissa Travaline told the news site that utility crews arrived within 20 minutes of the blast and suspended service to 15 homes while emergency responders worked to get the scene under control.

A house on our street just blew up. Woke up everyone on the street. Prayers for anyone inside. Chris rode down & got a shot on his phone. VERY fast police/fire response. No house. Posted by Andi Stockton Fox on Saturday, July 7, 2018

Fire crews from several towns responded to the explosion along with Frankling Township Police, which polices Newfield, a state police arson-bomb unit and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips