Hamilton firefighters rescued an elderly man trapped inside his lower city home after it was demolished by an explosion Tuesday afternoon.

Hamilton fire department spokesperson Claudio Mostacci called the incident on Gibson Avenue near Cannon Street East a "major house collapse." He said the man who lives there — who is blind — was rushed to hospital. Paramedics say he was in serious condition, but conscious and alert.

Parm Sandhu lives seven houses down from where the explosion happened. He told CBC News he was watching TV when he heard a massive bang.

It felt like my house was falling. I was holding on to stuff, I didn't know what was happening. - Sandy Baird, neighbour

"Everything just kind of shook," he said.

"My daughter and I, we came to the front door," he said. With the dust and debris blowing down the street, "it looked like it was hailing outside."

Sandhu ran down the street and saw rubble where the house once stood. He ran to the back of the collapsed house and yelled in at the man, who said he was trapped under his dryer with his dog beside him.

Neighbours have identified the man as Murdoch Campbell, who is in his 70s.

Hamilton paramedics transported an elderly man to hospital who was rescued from his home after it exploded in central Hamilton Tuesday. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

"When crews arrived on scene, they found the one-and-a-half storey house had collapsed," Mostacci said. "Crews immediately went to the house and they did locate one individual inside."

Police say Campbell was in the basement, and has been taken to hospital with "unknown injuries." He was conscious and talking with firefighters when they were working to save him, Mostacci said.

It's not yet clear what caused the explosion. ​There was no fire at the home, Mostacci said.

Neighbours say Campbell lived in the home with his service dog, Flannel. Friends of the family say the dog was coaxed out of the rubble on Tuesday night.

Neighbour Sandy Baird told CBC News that Campbell is well liked in the neighbourhood.

"He's very friendly, very personable. He has to stay busy, he's very hands on. Even though he's blind, he's always doing something," she said.

Here's the scene of the explosion in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HamOnt</a> today. Read more: <a href="https://t.co/h2fFuFFIqc">https://t.co/h2fFuFFIqc</a> <a href="https://t.co/AbAeXYZ2NC">pic.twitter.com/AbAeXYZ2NC</a> —@CBCHamilton

Campbell's wife, Grace, died back in August. The city named a neighbourhood laneway after her earlier this month, to commemorate her volunteer work in Hamilton.

The pair were known for keeping the alley clean, neighbours say.

Baird says she hopes that Campbell is OK, having experienced the violent explosion from close by.

"It felt like my house was falling. I was holding on to stuff, I didn't know what was happening," she said. "Pictures flew off the wall."

Several nearby homes were evacuated after the explosion, but police say residents are now allowed back inside.

The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is also investigating what happened.

adam.carter@cbc.ca