Longwood, Bronx,
Fire and explosion after Gas leaked demolished several row house apartment units in New York City’s, south Bronx neighborhood of Longwood on Tuesday.
Flames and plumes of smoke were seen outside the three-story building as police officers urged bystanders to move away from the site. One resident dead and injuring nine other people, the cause of the blast is under investigation, Reuters reported.
Five police officers were also injured during rescue operations and ran into the burning structure to help residents to rescue. One woman was rescued from her apartment by police, officials said.
A neighbor at the fire scene interviewed by local TV-station, and said that she heard a “big boom,” then saw the rear of the building “falling down” and debris blown into the backyard before a second explosion shook the building.
Video posted on twitter by the New York City Fire Department officers were busy in rescue operations and showered water on the destroyed apartment, blackened exterior of the building and a large part of the structure’s to be missing.
FDNY members continue to operate at a 2-alarm fire at 869 Fox Street in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/LDjt7faEJs
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 18, 2022
A former police officer and Mayor Eric Adams of New York told in a news conference
“We saved lives today”.
The gas service was shut off for the entire block after the incident, mayor added.
LIVE IN THE BRONX: @NYCMayor and @FDNY leadership provide updates on the 2-alarm fire at 869 Fox Street. https://t.co/QQcDJAbsGu
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 18, 2022
Chief of fire operations FDNY, John Hodgens, said,
“we had a report of somebody who did smell gas” before the explosion.
Hodgens told reporters that the explosion occurred in the apartment and the two units on either side were destroyed. Two or three other apartments were heavily damaged, he added. All the row house units were connected under a single roof.
One woman was inside the apartment at the center of the explosion was killed, and her sister was hospitalized with severe injuries, Hodgens said. Both women, in their 60s, were found lying on the ground outside, he added.
The south Bronx neighborhood of Longwood blast came just nine days after 17 people died and dozens were injured in a fire. That fire was believed to have been sparked by a faulty space heater.
Deadliest fire in Bronx apartment was quenched after killing 19.
A mass funeral prayer for lost of lives in the deadly residential building fire in the Tremont section of the Bronx, New York City.
