It was a typical quiet summer evening in London, Ont., and Nikki Best was enjoying a soak in the hot tub with her husband and a friend.

Then, without warning: "Ka-boom."

"All of a sudden there was a bang and a fireball in the air," said Best. "It was intense, it sounded like a bomb went off."

A car had crashed into a house on Woodman Avenue, a street close to where she lives on Dorinda Street in the city's Old East Village.

The crash damaged the house's gas meter, setting off a gas leak. Shortly after, the house on Woodman exploded, setting fire to at least seven nearby houses.

The explosion was captured on Best's backyard security camera. The footage shows Best, her husband and their friend scrambling out of the tub as a massive cloud of flame rises into the sky behind them, shedding sparks.

"It just kind of smelled smoky and gassy and it smelled awful," she said.

Best went out into the street and joined in the effort to get residents safely evacuated from their homes.

Best says she still can't believe the explosion happened so close to her.

"It's surreal."

A 23-year-old Kitchener woman is facing impaired driving charges in relation to the incident.