A fire fueled by a ruptured gas line tore through an Evesham Township, New Jersey, neighborhood Monday, forcing neighbors to evacuate from a half dozen homes, according to police. It all started when a construction crew struck an underground line.

Evesham Township police say a gas line was struck by a construction crew around 9:30 a.m. at Iron Gate and Nottingham roads.

Construction workers accidentally ruptured the gas line while doing work for the township to pave and repair the roads, police say.

Chopper 3 was over the scene as firefighters battled the blaze, which police say has since been placed under control.

Louis Feinman lives across the street from the fire and says he felt that blaze before he even saw it.

"All of a sudden, I feel like it's really hot in my bedroom," Feinman said, "and I'm like, 'I don't have the heat on, what's going on?' And then I started to smell something."

Feinman says he then looked out his window.

"I'm like, 'Oh my God!'" Feinman said. "And I ran down the steps."

Feinman began alerting his neighbors, including Harrison Gave, as the fire continued to rage, damaging the side of a nearby home and several construction vehicles.

"I've never seen flames that high in my life," Gave said. "It was scary."

As flames roared, some residents said it didn't feel like officials had control of the situation.

"They were like, 'We can't find the gas line, we can't find the gas line,'" Feinman said. "And the cops and the firemen were like, 'It's not going to go out until they actually find the gas line.'"

The fire blazed for two and a half hours before officials said crews located the gas valve to shut it off.

Neighbors expressed frustration, saying crews had been on site preparing for the project for weeks.

Police say city agencies will work to get answers from the construction company that was handling the project.

"We will work with the fire officials and also our township engineer because it was a township project to determine what happened here," Police Chief Thomas Reinholt said, "and obviously, any corrective measures that can be taken."

South Jersey Gas is at the scene assessing the damage and working on necessary repairs, police say.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Earle Construction, and we're working to get answers on what led up to the rupture. We have yet to hear back.

No injuries and no structural damage were reported.