A pile of smoking rubble was all that remained after optometrist Tony Hom’s office exploded from a gas leak. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured.

Have you ever had one of those Monday mornings? You’ve never had one like Tony Hom, O.D., of Edison, N.J.

It was eight o’clock Monday morning, January 18, when the police called him at home. There was a gas leak, they said. There had been an explosion at his office earlier that morning.

“I was in disbelief as I drove over there. I was hopeful that maybe it was something minor,” Dr. Hom says. “But when I arrived and saw what happened, I was really not able to comprehend it.”

The entire building—which he owned—was demolished by the explosion. All that was left was a smoking crater of timbers and rubble. Everything inside was lost—equipment, records, inventory—everything.

Dr. Hom spoke with police officers and firefighters and pieced together what had happened.

At about 3:00 a.m., a motorist driving by smelled gas and saw that the road had buckled. The motorist reported this to the gas company, which sent three workers to Dr. Hom’s building. The gas workers began to excavate in front of the building toward the underground gas pipe. Meanwhile, about 30 to 50 nearby homes were evacuated. 

At 4:35 a.m., the building erupted in a thunderous, fiery explosion. The gas workers in front of the building luckily avoided injury from the blast.

“The force of the explosion caused the front door to fly across the street, which is State Route 27—a four-lane highway,” Dr. Hom says. The door soared over the heads of the gas workers, flew across the highway, and landed on the front lawn of a home.

Six hours later, when Dr. Hom arrived, he felt lost, alone and adrift as he stood among the firefighters and police officers who rushed around the debris that had been his office just hours earlier.

Many thoughts raced through Dr. Hom’s mind, but the one that stuck with him was, “If the leak had occurred, let’s say, six hours later when we all got to work, then there would have been casualties.” So, despite the devastating loss of his business, “at least no one was hurt or killed,” he says.

Later that day, and during the next few days, Dr. Hom heard from family members, friends, fellow church members, patients and local optometrists—all offering their prayers and support. “I was sad but grateful,” he says.

Fortunately, Dr. Hom leased a new location within a week. It’s in Metuchen, less than three miles up the highway from his original building. “There will be NO GAS used on site, only electric,” he says. “Matter of fact, the entire plaza uses electric only.”

The gas company is still investigating the cause of the explosion.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hom and his wife, Jennifer, are working with the insurance company to cover the loss of his building. He hired contractors to fix up the new location, and he’s hopeful he’ll be able to reopen his practice in a matter of weeks. Plus, he’s upgrading to electronic medical records and a paperless system.

“I’m looking forward to a new office with a new look,” he says. “Using the latest gadgets and equipment, work will be easy and fun.”

Dr. Hom acknowledges that he’s getting through the ordeal thanks to the prayers, encouragement and support he’s received. “My burden is no more,” he says. “Once my heart was heavy, now my heart is light.”

The AOA has set up Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief for optometrists who experience a catastrophe, such as Dr. Hom. To make a donation, go to: www.optometryscharity.org/ofdr.