Members of the family caught in a surprise house explosion in southwest Kitchener say they felt as though they were in a dream in the moments after the blast.

All four members of the Nguyen family – father Minh, mother Lien, 16-year-old Tony and 11-year-old Sarah – were at the family’s Activa Avenue home Sunday night.

Both kids were in bed when the explosion ripped through their house shortly before midnight.

When Sarah woke up, her first thought was that she must still be dreaming.

She quickly snapped out of that, realizing that she was awake but no longer in her upstairs bedroom.

“I was in the basement, covered in wood. I kept on hitting the wood and it wouldn’t budge,” she tells CTV.

“Then the fire came closer and there was a light, and I finally saw what was happening with the fire.”

Needing to get away from the fire, Sarah began climbing over the wood and yelling for help – as was Lien.

Neighbour Aaron Manary was first to arrive at the scene. A Canadian Forces reservist who has served in Afghanistan, Manary says the blast and his training combined to trigger an automatic response to the emergency.

He ran down the street and found Lien trapped in the remains of the house, searching for her daughter.

“She was buried up to her waste in the rubble, trying to dig, to look for her daughter,” recalls Manary.

“At first I just helped to get her off the scene and get her to a point of safety. She was very distraught obviously.”

Part of the house was still burning nearby, but Manary says it wasn’t a hazard that would impede rescue of the family. He grabbed Lien and took her to safety as firefighters and paramedics began their rescue of Sarah.

Manary stayed with Lien as more curious onlookers and emergency residents rushed to the scene.

“I switched right into counseling (Lien) and trying to reassure her,” he says.

All four members of the family were taken to hospital. Lien, Tony and Sarah were released in short order, but Minh, who fractured his pelvis, has been transferred to Hamilton General Hospital.

The family car was also destroyed in the explosion, making it difficult for the Nguyens to visit Minh in Hamilton.

Tony says he may have been spared some of the injuries that befell the rest of his family because he was able to stay in his bed as the house collapsed. He too thought at first that he was in a dream.

“But then I could hear people yelling ‘Run, there’s a fire!’ and I stood up and saw my mom on the roof,” he says.

“I could hear my dad, but I didn’t know where he was.”

As investigators continue to try and piece together what closed the explosion, the family says they don’t have much information to pass along. They say they didn’t smell gas or anything else unusual, and hadn’t been using a barbecue.

The Nguyens are currently living in a motel room provided by the Red Cross. Neighbours are organizing a fundraising campaign. Anyone wishing to help can contact the Red Cross for referrals and advice.