Explosion Injures 17 at NYC Building
Pastor Dale Morgan
Explosion Injures 17 at NYC Building*
NEW YORK - An apparent gas leak caused a Manhattan apartment building to
explode, injuring 17 people, including four children and a firefighter,
officials said.
The explosion blew out some of the 20-unit building's walls just after 4
p.m. in upper Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood, witnesses said. Residents
said they heard the explosion blocks away, then screams.
"It does appear to be a gas leak explosion that then causes a flash
fire," said Fire Commission Nicholas Scoppetta.
Among the injured were four children, including one in critical
condition, Scoppetta said. A firefighter was hurt when debris fell on him.
In the aftermath, firefighters tossed pieces of drywall in a pile
outside the building, while the injured were treated in stretchers on
the street.
The local utility, Consolidated Edison, had no immediate evidence of a
leak, but investigators were waiting until the building was stabilized
before going into the apartment where the explosion occurred,
spokeswoman D. Joy Faber said.
The building and those on both sides of it were evacuated.