HASTINGS, Neb. – Hastings Fire and Rescue called in every on-duty firefighter, as well as off-duty personnel to combat Sunday's house explosion. 

"I've been here for five years, and this is the worst explosion we've seen," said HFR Chief Brad Starling. "It's been years since we've had an explosion of this magnitude."

The initial 9-1-1 call came in on Sunday morning as a structure fire with a possible explosion. First arriving responders saw the house had already collapsed and put out a second and third alarm. 

Multiple explosions happened after the initial blast, making it too dangerous to rescue anyone inside.

"We did take a little risk at first to see what the viability of anybody that might've been in that structure," said Starling. "Once we determined that the risk of further collapse, or further explosions outweighed the possibility of a viable victim, that's when we took a step back."

52-year-old Jeffery Ponder was the owner of the house and inside during the explosion. He died at the scene and the other two residents of the house were not home at the time.

Starling also said somehow personnel at the scene were able to successfully rescue two cats that had been buried alive in the rubble. 

Investigators still have not confirmed exactly what these explosive devices were, but deemed them to 'not be legal'.

They believe Ponder was intending to use them to harm anyone or anything, but say Ponder constructed and stored them illegally. 

Nebraska court records don't show any previous criminal filings involving Ponder. 

NCN talked to a neighbor near the house on the morning of the explosion who told us what he heard and saw.

“I walked out of the house and saw that the side of the house was blown away," said Devi Dwarabandam. "I panicked, I was in shock, so I called 9-1-1. I was closing my door, again there was a second bang, that second one was also big enough compared to the first one.”

The Hastings Police Department is in charge of the ongoing investigation.