Officers found broken glass and a damaged sheetrock wall along with the remnants of a cooler.
The owner of the home, Francisco Lopes - the woman's stepfather - works as a scientist at the SUNY Stony Brook Center for Molecular Medicine.
Lopes, who came home later last night, told police he had brought home some dry ice in a closed glass container to show his daughter, and left it in the basement.
No charges were filed against him.
Police say the explosion did not create any hazardous conditions.
