CORNING (AP) -- Authorities say a man and his grandson were doing plumbing work in an upstate New York home when they accidentally caused a natural gas leak that exploded when they lit a propane torch.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported that Corning Fire Chief John Tighe said the men were installing a new hot water heater. 

The explosion destroyed the home near downtown Corning, in New York's Finger Lakes region. The blast also damaged a nearby home and blew out windows for blocks.

The two men, 86-year-old Robert Young and his 38-year-old grandson, Paul Young, were both pulled from the wreckage alive and hospitalized.

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