Fire tore through the house following the blast, which blew off the front of the home on on 84th Street, between 162nd and 163rd avenues in Howard Beach around 2 p.m. Firefighters got control of the situation around 3:15 p.m.
Eyewitnesses say they heard what sounded like a bomb going off.
The female homeowner was inside at the time, and she was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition after being rescued by neighbors.
Eyewitness News learned that Rapid Repair work was done at this house to fix damage from Hurricane Sandy and even with work being done in the last week the FDNY has ruled out Rapid Repair as a cause in the fire.
Authorities believe the fire was gas fed, but investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the explosion and fire.
