One dead and eight injured as three-story home collapses in the Bronx
Woman, 77, is killed and eight are injured, including her sister who was found with ‘traumatic injuries’ and three cops, after gas explosion causes massive fire and three-story home collapse in the Bronx
Police said they received a call just before 11am about a gas smell and explosion leading to a two-alarm fire in a three-story residential building in the Bronx on Tuesday As they arrived on the scene, firefighters found two sisters lying on the ground outside of their residenceThey were taken to the hospital, where one woman, 77, succumbed to her injuriesThe other sister and a woman who was carried out of her apartment by firefighters remain in serious condition At least eight people were injured in the fire, including five police officersThe NYPD also announced that five officers were being treated for smoke inhalation The building where the fire started collapsed, while two adjacent buildings were also destroyed
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A 77-year-old woman died after she and her sister were found lying on the ground outside of a three-story residence that exploded Tuesday morning, as her sister remains in critical condition with ‘traumatic injuries.’
Five members of the New York Police Department were being treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation from the apparent gas explosion and its subsequent two-alarm fire.
Newly-inaugurated Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday afternoon that firefighters responding to the scene of the fire on Intervale Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx in New York City at around 11am rushed inside the building and carried out a woman who was trapped inside.
They also found the two sisters lying on the ground outside of the residence, apparently blown away from the explosion in their home, and sent them to a local hospital. One of the sisters later succumbed to her injuries.
The two other elderly victims, ages 68 and 82, were in stable condition after being treated for the injuries they sustained in the explosion, and the five police officers are also reportedly in stable condition.
The victims identities have not yet been publicly released.
More than 100 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to reports of a gas smell and apparent explosion leading to a two-alarm fire at the residence Tuesday morning, and crews were seen throughout the afternoon desperately trying to get the blaze under control before the three-story home collapsed.
Hodges said firefighters searched through the adjacent buildings to make sure everyone got out quickly and safely, and members of the community quickly sprang into action to help officials make sure everyone who lived in those buildings were accounted for.
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca said residents even told authorities that one man was unaccounted for, but they were eventually able to track the individual down to Puerto Rico, where he is on vacation.
Mayor Eric Adams commended the work of the fire department and the NYPD in the press briefing, saying: ‘We saved lives today. Our actions saved lives.’
A two-alarm fire broke out in a residential three-story building in the Bronx on Tuesday morning, apparently due to a gas explosion
At least 100 fire officials and members of the NYPD were on the scene of the blaze Tuesday morning
Hundreds of FDN personnel responded to the scene of the fire in a residential neighborhood of the Bronx
The street, which was closed to allow fire crews to tackle the blaze, was filled with smoke after the morning fire
Fire officials blocked off the area surrounding the fire on Tuesday as they worked to get it under control
The three-story home completely collapsed after the suspected gas explosion and house fire
More than 100 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to reports of a gas explosion and two-alarm fire on Intervale Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx in New York City, at around 11am. Crews were seen desperately trying to get the blaze under control before the three-story home collapsed
The three-story home collapsed in the flames, likely sparked by a gas explosion
Smoke continued to fill the air into Tuesday afternoon, and nearby streets were blocked off, according to FOX 5 News.
Fire officials told DailyMail.com they first received a call about an explosion at a private dwelling just before 11am, before spreading to a nearby home. They are now classifying the fire as a ‘major emergency.’
Residents of nearby buildings were evacuated to a local church, where members of the Red Cross provided them with food and water.
Three of the five residential units on the block were completely destroyed in the blaze and must be torn down, Hodges said, and Emergency Services is providing anyone who lost their home in the fire with housing at a local hotel.
After fire officials arrived on the scene and began to douse the fire, the Daily News reports, the three-story residence started to collapse, with the front façade falling onto a gray SUV parked outside.
At one point, the firefighters were ordered to back out of the building to douse it from the outside out of fear that it may again collapse.
There were also reports that a resident may have been trapped inside the building when the explosion occurred, according to the Daily News, but initial searches of the rubble have not uncovered any additional victims.
At least nine people have been injured in the fire, and were taken to the hospital. CBS 2 News reports that at least one of the injuries is serious
Smoke continued to fill the air into Tuesday afternoon, and nearby streets were blocked off
Some of the debris from the house landed on a gray SUV parked in the driveway, crushing the car
Firefighters were seen aiding victims and neighbors, directing them to a nearby church
Shortly after fire officials arrived on the scene, the front facade of the building collapsed
The facade of the building and most of the interior were completely destroyed in the fire
Firefighters were told to continue battling the fire from outside in case there was another collapse
Salamanca, who represents the area, suggested on Twitter that the fire erupted from a gas explosion, noting he will remain on the scene as fire officials continue to battle the blaze.
A spokesperson for Con Edison confirmed to 1010 WINS investigators were on the scene, but would not confirm whether a gas explosion was the cause.
The gas utility is now turning off service to the area, according to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, whose office is monitoring the situation, and Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesperson for the company told FOX News is a ‘large debris field that the fire department will need to’ sort through in order to determine the cause.
Department of Building inspectors were also on the scene to investigate the fire and building collapse.
NYPD investigators will now work with the Fire Marshal to determine the cause of the blast. So far, there is no indication of any criminality involved.
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze into Tuesday afternoon
Smoke billowed throughout the sky as trucks blocked drivers from entering the scene
Firefighters were seen on a bucket trying to quell the fire after it already tore through the frame of the house
The remains of the residential three-story building are pictured here. The Department of Buildings is now investigating the fire and the building collapse
Residents on social media likened the explosion Tuesday morning to an earthquake, with one woman who said she lives across the street saying her television fell off the wall as the fire started.
Brigette Brantley said she was laying down in her bed when it happened, telling DailyMail.com ‘It was scary because we are still getting over the other Bronx fire and though it didn’t happen in my apartment I just feared the worst.’ She said she is now trying to help those displaced by the fire through her organization, dapeoplesassemblynyc.
Another neighbor told CBS 2: ‘I was in my room, and my mom was the one that came to my room, yelling, like, “Oh my God, I felt the room shake. Something must’ve happened.”‘
‘It’s really sad. You know, people lost their homes.’
Gas emanated through the windows of nearby houses on Intervale Avenue
Fire officials remained on the scene as they tried to battle the blaze
After a while, the fire spread to another house nearby where it broke some windows and did more damage
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who represents the area, suggested the fire began from a gas explosion, and said he will remain on the scene to get answers
The fire comes just over one week after another large fire in the Bronx killed 17 people in an apartment building just three miles away.
Fire experts, attributing smoke to the fatalities, believe a self-closing door in the Twin Parks North West complex may have malfunctioned, allowing the smoke to spread through the building. They believe the fire was caused by a faulty space heater.
‘The fire was contained to the hallway just outside this two-story apartment, but the smoke travelled throughout the building and the smoke is what caused the deaths and the serious injuries,’ Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said during a press conference last Monday.
Fire Marshals have ruled the fire ‘accidental,’ noting that it was caused by a malfunctioning space heater and that a ‘smoke alarm was present and operational’.
A New York City official, who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, revealed fire marshals suspect the space heater had been running uninterrupted for multiple days. According to a list of resident maintenance requests shared online, building received at least four complaints last year of units being without heat.
It is unclear if the unit where the fire started was having an issue with heat.
