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Four other people were hurt, including one firefighter. Authorities believe all of those injuries are non-life threatening.

 VIDEO: Raw Chopper Video of the Wauwatosa Explosion

Gaulke's house was destroyed, another home was badly damaged and there was significant damage to 20 other homes and businesses in the neighborhood.

Fire units from West Allis, Greenfield, the North Shore, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Butler, Greendale, West Allis and New Berlin assisted Wauwatosa in fighting the fire.

Firefighters called the fire under control at 12:44 p.m. Debris covered the area, and heavy equipment was brought in to move it out of the way.

 HOME VIDEO: Explosion Aftermath from Jeff Stuberg

Residents from the surrounding area were evacuated by bus as a precaution.

The state fire marshal’s office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were called to the scene to assist in the investigation.

Neighbors reported a strong smell of natural gas before the blast, which happened just after 11 a.m. in the 109th block of W. Wisconsin Avenue. The fire department said early indications point to a possible gas explosion, but they strongly caution that investigators have not yet determined an official cause.

"There’s some other pieces of equipment that we need to take a look at," said Wauwatosa Fire Chief Dean Redman, "before we make any kind of a final determination."

 VIDEO: Fire Chief Dean Redman's News Conference

The blast was heard for blocks. Kelsey Krause, who lives two houses away, described it as a huge boom. "And the whole house just shook, like earthquake kind of feeling. And I looked outside, and all our windows blew in, in the whole house, and then the house next to us was all on fire, and then, we didn’t really know what happened."

Susie Murray was working in her garden. "It was like a ball of fire shooting in the air," she said.

"I've never heard a sound like it before in my life," Brad Allen said.

According to neighbor Lona Masch, "The whole house shook. My ears hurt."

"As soon as I looked through the window from our balcony, all I could see was metal and debris flying through the air," Rosemary Wenzel reported.

"I was in the back of the house and I just heard a big explosion, and my first instinct was, 'What hit the roof?'" said Margaret Nussbaum, who lives down the block. "I came out and looked and thought maybe something hit the garage, and as soon as I got outside, smoke was billowing up, ashes, insulation, blowing all over."

The debris field stretched for blocks. The blast could be heard for miles. Firefighters said the flames reached 75 feet into the air.

Debris from the explosion was everywhere; lots of it landed on nearby homes, and some was found hanging from trees.

Some neighbors combed the area for personal items in the debris, hoping to return them to family members.

Gaulke's body was discovered hours after firefighters started digging through tons of debris.

Chief Redman said, "She was located in the basement, but that's because the house collapsed into the basement. From all appearances, it looks like she was probably in the kitchen at the time."

Gaulke lived in the home with her son, William Gaulke. He was out of town when the explosion happened.

Investigators finished their on scene investigation Sunday, sifting through the debris, looking for the water heater and any appliances that might yield clues.

The state fire marshal will conduct lab testing and take over the investigation.

Four families whose houses were structurally damaged had to find other lodgings.