So there's a man who lives by the building. He was smelling gas since yesterday.
This was a natural gas explosion.
Three more came out on stretchers.
A man can't reach his wife who was in the building next door now - might be evacuated now.
Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
So there's a man who lives by the building. He was smelling gas since yesterday.
This was a natural gas explosion.
Three more came out on stretchers.
A man can't reach his wife who was in the building next door now - might be evacuated now.
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
Not one, but TWO buildings appear to be gone.
Eye witness says he and his wife smelled gas yesterday. Today the buildings are gone.
Most likely a natural gas explosion.
The news is reporting that the "Dept of Buildings" reports ZERO permits for construction - though a witness said there was construction. There have been no violations in the buildings either.
News is reporting as many as 15 injured (minor it appears).
The buildings that are gone had some people in them. There may be people still trapped under debris.
FBI says "terrorism does NOT appear to be a factor, but are investigating".
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
1 confirmed dead. 17 injured.
Few other details emerging right now.
At least not from official sources.
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
Firefighters battle a blaze after a possible explosion caused a building to collapse on March 12 in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. (Photo: Justin Lane, epa)
A utilities company reportedly had been called to the scene to check on a gas leak.
Up to 16 people were injured -- four seriously --- in the collapse of two five-story buildings in Harlem Wednesday after an explosion, according to media reports.
At least one person was killed, The New York Times reported, quoting an unidentified senior city official. The official also suggested there could be more fatalities.
Harlem Hospital says it received one patient with serious trauma, WCBS reports. The FDNY, which designated the call as a 5-alarm emergency, says 12 victims suffered only minor injuries.
One person with "serious trauma" was being treated at Harlem Hospital, and the hospital was expecting more injured people to arrive, said Lamarr Nelson, a hospital spokesman.
CNN reports that Con Edison, the New York utilities company, had been called to the site on Park Avenue between 114th street and 116th Street in East Harlem to check a possible gas leak just before the explosion.
There is a Spanish Christian Church and a piano repair store at the location.
Eoin Hayes, 26, said the explosion shook his apartment building almost 10 blocks away.
"I was in my bedroom and the explosion went off, it kind of shook the whole building," Hayes told the Associated Press. "You could feel the vibrations going through the building. I ran to the window and saw the fire and the smoke going up and the sirens start."
Metro-North service was suspended, officials said, because of debris from the buildings that landed on the elevated train tracks across the street, The New York Times reports.
WABC says residents reported hearing a large explosion in an apartment building around 9 a.m. ET. It says fire was reported in the building and residents were seeing smoke in the area.
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
BREAKING: Two buildings collapse, killing 1 and injuring 17 after gas explosion in Harlem
'We saw people flying out the window,' one witness said after the buildings were left as rubble on Park Ave. at E. 116th St. Witnesses said the blaze began Wednesday morning in the Absolute Piano store. Metro-North service was suspended in both directions as Mayor de Blasio went to the scene.
Comments (9) By Greg B. Smith , Denis Slattery , Jennifer H. Cunningham , Tina Moore AND Stephen Rex Brown / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 9:54 AM
Updated: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 11:37 AM
A loud explosion inside a five-story building on Park Ave. at E. 116th St. sent "people flying out the window," killing one person, injuring 17 and leaving two buildings in rubble Wednesday morning, according to the Fire Department and witnesses.
“For weeks we've been smelling gas," said Ashley Rivera, 21, holding back tears. "We saw people flying out of the window. ... Those are my neighbors."
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
Firefighters spray the destroyed building with water on Wednesday morning.
PHOTOS: HARLEM EXPLOSION KILLS 1, INJURES AT LEAST A DOZEN
A law enforcement source told the Daily News the cause appeared to be a gas explosion. Mayor de Blasio was on his way to the scene.
NY1
Video captured the blaze in East Harlem. FDNY says it received its first call about the explosion at 9:31 a.m.
Witness Michelle Jackson, 29, said she saw a badly burned 8-year-old boy being tended to by frantic pedestrians. She described a "loud bang" and "explosion."
RELATED: ELDERLY WOMAN DIES IN CHELSEA HIGH-RISE FIRE
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
One of the victims stands on Park Ave. after two buildings exploded and collapsed.
A spokesman for the Fire Department said the first call regarding a possible explosion came at 9:31 a.m.
The fire began inside the Absolute Piano store at 1646 Park Ave. and was followed by the blast, witnesses told the Daily News. The neighboring building at 1644 Park Ave. was also destroyed. Windows of neighboring storefronts were shattered.
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
A victim is carried on a stretcher by emergency personnel.
RELATED: QUEENS WOMAN, 92, KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE
Medics treated one woman on a stretcher as other stunned bystanders lingered around the scene with dust on their coats.
David Handschuh/New York Daily News
Medics treat victims at the scene of the fatal fire on Wednesday.
Mitch Abreu, 23, was working at Milciades Barbershop nearby when he heard two loud explosions that shook the shop.
RELATED: FOUR NY FIREFIGHTERS HURT IN BROOKLYN BLAZE
Joe Marino/New York Daily News
Emergency personnel rush victim from the scene where at least one person was reported dead.
"It was loud, like boom, boom!" he said. "It rocked the whole block. A window blew out of the other shop down the street. It looked like the towers all over again. People covered in dust and covering their mouths."
Aisha Watts said she was using the bathroom in a neighboring building when she heard the blast, which ripped part of her apartment apart. She was miraculously unscathed, but terrified.
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
Firefighters battle through the smoke as they climb over the rubble in East Harlem.
RELATED: BROOKLYN FIRE BURNS MAN, LEAVES FAMILY HOMELESS
"I thought it was a train derailment. Everything was shaking. ... I thought God was taking me home!" said Watts, 37. "We have no windows, no walls."
Google; David Handschuh/New York Daily News
A 'before' and 'after' view of the buildings that were lost in the explosion in East Harlem.
Officials said 44 units and 200 firefighters were on the scene. Rubble from the destroyed building spilled into Park Ave. and smoke choked the blocks surrounding the chaotic scene in East Harlem.
RELATED: ELDERLY WOMAN DIES IN BROOKLYN BLAZE AS NEIGHBORS RESCUE DAUGHTER
David Handschuh/New York Daily News
Rubble spills onto Park Ave. on Wednesday morning after a building apparently collapsed.
Children's toys and school books were mixed in with the rubble. At least three cars appeared to have been driving by the building when it blew. Firefighters used tools to rescue people trapped inside them.
Smoke eaters sifted through the rubble looking for victims as others continued to douse the flames.
Smoke rises over Park Ave. after a possible building collapse in East Harlem around 116th St.
RELATED: FDNY FIREFIGHTER WHO SAVED BROOKLYN BOY DIES AT 85
Metro-North service is suspended in both directions. The MTA said 4, 5, and 6 trains were running at slow speeds due to concern about "vibrations" from the collapse.
The history of one of the collapsed buildings hints at possible factors in the explosion.
RELATED: QUEENS TEEN SAVES BABY BROTHER, HERSELF AS FIRE GUTS HOME
Last June, new gas pipe was supposed to be installed at one of the buildings that collapsed, 1644 Park Ave., records show. A Buildings Department permit was issued to New York Heating to install 120 feet of gas pipe along the outside of the building connecting to a 5th floor stove. An employee who answered the phone at New York Heating couldn’t say when the job was complete and if it was inspected by the fire department.
Several years ago the buildings department issued a violation against the building next door, 1646 Park Ave., after inspectors discovered the building’s rear wall contained a dangerous vertical crack, “which is hazardous to the safety of the structure,” records show. The owner of the building, listed as Carl Demler, was issued a violation in August 2008. He apparently paid a $1,335 fine, but there’s no record of compliance since.
RELATED: BRONX SCHOOL FIRE CALLED SUSPICIOUS
The Buildings Department also received a complaint in 2008 that a fence had been erected blocking the second egress off the fire escape at 1644 Park Ave. but no violations were issued because inspectors determined there was a second way of leaving through the basement.
On Jan. 14, tenants of Apt. 2 at 1646 Park Ave. complained to city housing inspectors about cracks in the walls and ceiling throughout the apartment, which could indicate there were structural problems. Housing inspectors issued 13 violations for a variety of problems, including missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and blocked fire exits.
RELATED: EIGHT PEOPLE INJURED IN BROWNSVILLE FIRE
The violations remained unresolved as of Wednesday.
THIS IS A BREAKING STORY, CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
2 killed - more than a dozen were injured.
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Re: Manhattan NYC 114th St Explosion in Building
oh oh.....
Gas explosion in East Harlem kills 2, injures 22 — a dozen feared missing
'We saw people flying out the window,' one witness said after the buildings were destroyed at Park Ave. at E. 116th St. Nine to 12 people were still missing, an NYPD source said. The two buildings containing 15 apartments, Absolute Piano and Spanish Christian Church. Metro-North service was suspended in both directions as Mayor de Blasio gave a press conference at the scene.
Comments (43) By Greg B. Smith , Pete Donohue , Jennifer H. Cunningham , Tina Moore AND Stephen Rex Brown / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 9:54 AM
Updated: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 1:30 PM
A thunderous explosion in East Harlem sent "people flying out the windows," killing two women, injuring 22 and leveling two buildings Wednesday morning, the Fire Department and witnesses said.
Mayor de Blasio said the search continued for people still unaccounted for three hours after the blast at 9:31 a.m.
An NYPD source said nine to 12 people were missing.
James Keivom/New York Daily News
FDNY works at the scene of a deadly gas explosion in East Harlem where two women were killed and 22 other people were injured in a blast Wednesday morning.
Two people suffered life-threatening injuries, five had serious non-life-threatening injuries, a Fire Department spokesman said.
“There was no warning in advance,” de Blasio said at the scene, adding there was no indication of foul play.
"It’s a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication.”
James Keivom/New York Daily News
NYPD officers cover their mouths from the smoke at the scene in East Harlem.
PHOTOS: TWO BUILDINGS COLLAPSE FOLLOWING DEADLY GAS EXPLOSION IN HARLEM
The mayor was flanked by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, whose district office is less than a block from the blast.
Officials said 250 firefighters were fighting the five-alarm blaze where the two five-story buildings containing a piano store and Spanish Christian Church once stood. One building had six apartments, the other nine, according to de Blasio.
James Keivom/New York Daily news
Man clutches desperately to a child as he escapes the chaos amid the fire and collapse.
Jessica Ortega said her brother-in-law, Alexis Salas, lived in one of the buildings. She feared he was among the dead.
"We are very worried. We don't know what happened to him," she said.
Tulio Gomez said friend Andrea Pogapoulos, also lived in one of the blown up buildings.
Jeremy Sailing/AP
The blaze burns in the wreckage of deadly blast Wednesday as firefighters kept working Wednesday afternoon.
"We're afraid. He's not answering his phone. We don't know anything," Gomez said of Pogapoulos, adding that his friend is around 41 years old and owns his own advertising agency.
Firefighters have just arrived at the scene of a possible building collapse at East 116th St. and Park Ave.
De Blasio said the explosion appeared to have been caused by a gas leak.
Joe Marino/New York Daily News
Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference at the scene in East Harlem.
Residents of a building neighboring the site had complained of gas at 9:13 a.m. — 18 minutes before the explosion, Con Edison spokeswoman Elizabeth Matthews said.
Con Ed workers “arrived just after the explosion occurred,” Matthews said.
Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano said first responders narrowly avoided being caught by the blast.
James Keivom/New York Daily News
Authorities said 22 people were injured in the explosion and 2 women were killed.
“If we were here five minutes earlier we may have had some fatalities among fire fighters,” Cassano said. “Not being here may have saved some lives.”
Cassano added that it would take time to get to the source of the blast.
RELATED: ELDERLY WOMAN DIES IN CHELSEA HIGH-RISE FIRE
Barry Williams for New York Daily news
A victim is carried on a stretcher by emergency personnel.
"Right now they can't get anywhere near where the source of ignition was," he said. "But once we get through the debris and rubble we will get down to that basement and see where we think it was ignited."
Ashley Rivera, 21, said an odor of gas had lingered on the block for weeks.
"We saw people flying out of the windows. Those are my neighbors," said Rivera, holding back tears.
One of the victims stands on Park Ave. after two buildings exploded and collapsed.
Angelica Aguiler, 25, said she was asleep in her sixth-floor apartment when she felt the building quake.
“The window exploded. I was trying to get out but the door wouldn't open,” said Aguiler, describing her terror as neighbors tried in vain to help her escape.
“I called my stepmom and told her I was trapped. I couldn't get out!"
Mark Bonifacio/New York Daily News
Ariel view of the smoke moving over East Harlem from scene of deadly blast.
RELATED: QUEENS WOMAN, 92, KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE
It was her stepmom, Melinda Cruz, 42, that finally rescued Aguiler.
“I had to sneak in through the back of the building. I got to her and opened the door. I hugged her," said Cruz.
Firefighters spray the destroyed building with water on Wednesday morning.
The fire began inside the Absolute Piano store at 1646 Park Ave. and was followed by the blast, witnesses told the Daily News.
Windows of nearby storefronts were shattered.
Children's toys and school books were mixed in with the rubble. At least three cars appeared to have been driving by the building when it blew. Firefighters used tools to rescue people trapped inside their rides.
A victim is carried on a stretcher by emergency personnel.
Other smokeaters sifted through the rubble looking for victims as others continued to douse the flames. Bystanders lingered with dust on their coats.
RELATED: FOUR NY FIREFIGHTERS HURT IN BROOKLYN BLAZE
A school behind the buildings was evacuated.
Medics treat victims at the scene of the fatal fire on Wednesday.
A firefighter on the scene said that a building at the corner of East 117th St. and Park Ave. had become unstable as a result of the collapse.
Anthony Ferguson, 58, said he saw a man run into the burning building — and then be violently ejected onto the street by the force of the blast.
“He flew back!” said Ferguson, adding he saw first responders pull another man from the debris.
Emergency personnel rush victim from the scene where at least one person was reported dead.
Mustafa Shohataa, 27, was standing on the south side of East 116th St. when he felt a wave of air followed by two explosions.
"I felt it like a breeze and the noises came and stuff started falling from the sky,” Shohataa said. “Smoke filled the street and people were running. I thought a train came off the tracks…It felt like the world shook.”
RELATED: BROOKLYN FIRE BURNS MAN, LEAVES FAMILY HOMELESS
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
MTA employee clears debris from the tracks.
Mitch Abreu, 23, was working at Milciades Barbershop nearby when he said he heard two explosions that shook the shop.
"It was loud, like boom, boom!" he said. "It rocked the whole block. A window blew out of the other shop down the street. It looked like the towers all over again. People covered in dust and covering their mouths."
Aisha Watts said she was using the bathroom at 1652 Park Ave. in a neighboring building when she heard the blast, which ripped part of her apartment apart. She was miraculously unscathed, but terrified.
Firefighters battle through the smoke as they climb over the rubble in East Harlem.
"I thought it was a train derailment. Everything was shaking...I thought God was taking me home!" said Watts, 37. "We have no windows, no walls."
Rubble from the destroyed buildings spilled into Park Ave. and smoke choked the blocks surrounding the chaotic scene in East Harlem.
“It was a big hole in the middle of the two buildings!” said Sam Krebs, 24. “A big cloud of smoke covered where the building used to be.”
A 'before' and 'after' view of the buildings that were lost in the explosion in East Harlem.
RELATED: ELDERLY WOMAN DIES IN BROOKLYN BLAZE AS NEIGHBORS RESCUE DAUGHTER
Metro-North service was suspended in both directions. Glass from the blast littered the tracks and a law enforcement source guessed it could be hours before limited service resumed.
The MTA said 4, 5, and 6 trains were running at slow speeds due to concern about "vibrations" from the collapse.
Video captured the blaze in East Harlem. FDNY says it received its first call about the explosion at 9:31 a.m.
A spokesman couldn't say when Metro-North service would resume. After debris is removed from the tracks, signals and other equipment will have to inspected and tested before trains can roll again, MTA spokesman Sal Arena said.
Congressman Charlie Rangel was presiding over a House Ways and Means Committee hearing in Washington when he heard the news.
“It was just shocking," he told the Daily News.
“It's like being on the job and someone tells you your house is on fire and you have no idea of the casualties, who's there.”
RELATED: FDNY FIREFIGHTER WHO SAVED BROOKLYN BOY DIES AT 85
The White House said President Obama had been briefed on the explosion that witnesses said was heard as far away as First Ave.
The history of one of the collapsed buildings hints at possible factors in the explosion.
Last June new gas pipe was supposed to be installed at one of the buildings that collapsed, 1644 Park Ave., records show. A Buildings department permit was issued to New York Heating to install 120 feet of gas pipe along the outside of the building connecting to a fifth-floor stove. An employee who answered the phone at New York Heating couldn’t say when the job was complete and if it was inspected by the fire department.
Several years ago the buildings department issued a violation against the building next door, 1646 Park Ave., after inspectors discovered the building’s rear wall contained a dangerous vertical crack “which is hazardous to the safety of the structure,” records show. The owner of the building, listed as Carl Demler, was issued a violation in August 2008. He apparently paid a $1,335 fine but there’s no record of compliance since.
The Buildings Department also received a complaint in 2008 that a fence had been erected blocking the second egress off the fire escape at 1644 Park Ave. but no violations were issued because inspectors determined there was a second egress through the basement.
On Jan. 14, tenants of Apt. 2 at 1646 Park Ave. complained to city housing inspectors about cracks in the walls and ceiling throughout the apartment, which could indicate there were structural problems there. Housing inspectors issued 13 violations for a variety of problems there, including missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and blocked fire exits. The violations remained unresolved as of Wednesday.
With Annie Karni, Denis Slattery, Joe Kemp, Rocco Parascandola and Edgar Sandoval
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