Robert Gutierrez Sr. came back from his vacation home in Delaware to find his Lancaster County residence condemned and partially destroyed by an explosion at his neighbor's home.

"It could have been a lot worse," Gutierrez said, referring to his son and his son's girlfriend being able to escape the blast.

Gutierrez and his family live on the 200 block of Springdale Lane, Manor Township, where an explosion -- likely caused by a gas leak -- leveled his next-door neighbor's home. A UGI employee was killed as a result of the explosion, said Blue Rock Regional Fire Commissioner Duane Hagelgans. The employee had not been identified late Sunday.

Hagelgans said two other UGI employees were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover. A third person, an employee for Pennsylvania One Call System, was also injured. No updates on that person's condition were available.

A small fleet of UGI vehicles and a large number of staff surveyed the area near the blast well into Sunday afternoon to determine if there were any other leaks. Nine fire departments, seven EMS units, state police, Occupational Safety and Heath Administration, and the Pennsylvania Public Utility commission all were at the scene during some portion of the early investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation because the incident involved a fatality related to infrastructure.

A blanket of insulation across neighboring homes and a huge bed of rubble were all that was left of Jeannie Hughes' home of nine years. Several hundred feet down the road, a piece of mail with her address was found, a testament to the force of the blast. Hughes told LNP newspaper that UGI employees at the scene told her the gas readings in the house were near 100 percent prior to the explosion. Hagelgans said she was told to evacuate her home and subsequently found out half an hour later that her home had exploded.

She could not be reached for comment by PennLive.

Hughes told LNP she lost everything and felt bad for her neighbors, referencing the Gutierrez family who had just moved in on March 31. Still, she appeared optimistic in the wake of the destruction, describing herself as pretty lucky and grateful that she and her two sons weren't a home.

Hagelgans thanked the community for their support, helping crews move equipment, providing water and doing whatever was necessary to assist public safety officials and the explosion victims. Clayton Hollinger, who lives a few houses away from the explosion, said he was heartened by the community response following the horrific explosion.

Neighbors took photos of the home prior to its explosion Sunday afternoon.

Hollinger and his family watched the incident unfold after fire trucks arrived. They explained that the explosion wasn't so loud as much as a forceful percussion, like a feeling large fireworks or a mortar going off at close range, Hollinger said.

He pointed to damage such as broken windows on his own home several hundred feet away.

Gutierrez's home next door wasn't so lucky. Much of the structure was gone or showing visible signs of damage from blast wave. The entire backyard was covered in debris and the side closest to the blast looked like it had been hit by hurricane-force winds.

Seven people live at Gutierrez's house and he noted that he recently had around 50 people at his house for a pig roast. Gutierrez said he wasn't sure of what step was next, but he said it could be a while before his family is back in their home.

Explaining that nearly all of the Hughes' neighbors were on vacation, Hollinger said fewer people than normal were in the typically busy area of the cul-de-sac when the blast occurred. A 20-year resident of the neighborhood, Hollinger said he was in contact with his neighbors who were out of town to let them know what was happening at their homes.

Hollinger said he and his family will continue to help the displaced families in any way he can, though there isn't much they can do now that the devastation has settled. Both Hollinger and Gutierrez expressed their sympathies to the family of the UGI employee.

Public safety crews are expected to clear part of the scene Monday, while contractors sent by the homeowner's insurance companies will handle the bulk of the cleanup process.

Hagelgans described the blast as powerful, but said it had less kick than the gas explosion in Millersville in 2011 the fire company responded to, which damaged The Framery Etc. Noting the much stronger commercial building, Hagelgans said there wasn't as much visible damage in that incident even with the stronger explosion.

UGI issued the following statement after the incident:

"UGI is saddened to announce the tragic death of one of our coworkers who was killed in an incident at Springdale Lane, Manor Township.

Three UGI employees were responding to a gas odor call on Sunday, July 2, 2017 when an explosion occurred. One employee was killed and two employees were injured in the explosion. The two injured employees are hospitalized but are expected to fully recover.

The cause of the incident is under investigation and UGI is working with regulatory officials, fire and emergency responders to learn more about the cause of the explosion. As part of this effort, UGI crews have shut off natural gas to the affected area and are performing enhanced leak detection surveys to ensure the area is safe.

The entire UGI family is deeply saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with the family of our fellow employee who lost his life as well as our employees who were injured, and their families. UGI is working through our employee assistance program to provide grief counseling to employees and employee family members, as well as the American Red Cross to provide assistance to individuals affected by the incident."