This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/26/new-york-fire-explosion-east-village
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| New York fire crews rush to battle fire at East Village building collapse | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The New York fire department is at the scene of a massive fire and partial building collapse that broke out in the wake of an explosion at a Manhattan building on Thursday. | |
| A fire department spokesman said there were 12 people injured, three of them critically. Media reports from the scene said as many as 30 people were injured. | |
| The fire department had no information on the cause of the explosion and fire, but the New York Times reported the department had told them there was some evidence of a gas leak. | |
| The reported address for the building, at Second Avenue and Seventh Street, is that of a Japanese restaurant. | |
| “This is being considered a major emergency,” a fire department spokeswoman said. | “This is being considered a major emergency,” a fire department spokeswoman said. |
| People in the area described hearing and feeling an explosion about 3.15pm ET. Local television stations reported 145 firefighters were at the scene of what was already a four-alarm fire. | |
| Police had erected a cordon at Fifth Street along Second Avenue and extending up about 10 blocks, and there were dozens of emergency vehicles at the scene along with at least one NYPD helicopter. A Guardian reporter saw thick, yellow and white smoke was rising rapidly from the top of the building. | |
| Firefighters on ladder trucks on Second Avenue in front of the building were pouring water onto the roof of the building, but in moments where the smoke cleared, flames were visible rising 10 feet and higher above the building and the one next door. | |
| A police officer manning a sidewalk barricade at scene who did not want to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media said: “All I heard is there was a restaurant explosion.” | A police officer manning a sidewalk barricade at scene who did not want to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media said: “All I heard is there was a restaurant explosion.” |
| Two employees of North Star Tattoo on Seventh Street, about a half block from the scene, told the Guardian they went to the corner after feeling the blast. | |
| #BREAKING: Aerial view of building collapse @NYPD9Pct. Numerous rescue units on scene #SOD #ESU #K9 #Aviation #FD pic.twitter.com/d9iX4GOBUd | |
| They said they saw workers from a Japanese restaurant that had been on the ground floor of one of the buildings climbing up the fire escape of the burning building and pulling people from windows. | They said they saw workers from a Japanese restaurant that had been on the ground floor of one of the buildings climbing up the fire escape of the burning building and pulling people from windows. |
| “The Japanese workers at the restaurant? They were climbing the building trying to get people out,” said an employee of the tattoo parlor. “The outside of the building.” | “The Japanese workers at the restaurant? They were climbing the building trying to get people out,” said an employee of the tattoo parlor. “The outside of the building.” |
| From the scene of the 2nd Ave building collapse http://t.co/HY5AjtbmeL pic.twitter.com/o9IPpxzajr | From the scene of the 2nd Ave building collapse http://t.co/HY5AjtbmeL pic.twitter.com/o9IPpxzajr |
| “The thing is that the Japanese restaurant, it was for sure open. And that’s just gone. There’s just a hole there. It was a big place.” | |
| They said they saw firemen on top of the building communicating with firemen on the ground. | They said they saw firemen on top of the building communicating with firemen on the ground. |
| “The firefighters were really hosing it down for a while before you could really see the flames outside of the building. And the flames were like 30 feet in the air. | “The firefighters were really hosing it down for a while before you could really see the flames outside of the building. And the flames were like 30 feet in the air. |
| “There were firefighters on the roof waving at the other guys to get them down because they knew it was going to go up.” | “There were firefighters on the roof waving at the other guys to get them down because they knew it was going to go up.” |
| A woman who was working in the back of The Moonstruck restaurant one block away told the Guardian she had felt a “boom and a vibration” unlike anything she had felt before. She did not want to give her name. | A woman who was working in the back of The Moonstruck restaurant one block away told the Guardian she had felt a “boom and a vibration” unlike anything she had felt before. She did not want to give her name. |
| “We were in the back and we heard the boom. And then we came out, and there was smoke. And then nothing, and then came the fire,” she said. | |
| Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered at taped-off blockades on side streets on either side of second avenue. A couple with a kid wearing a baseball mitt argued unsuccessfully with a police officer to be allowed access to their house. | |
| 123 Second is already gone. Adjacent buildings may well follow. pic.twitter.com/hwbMI2RmSr | 123 Second is already gone. Adjacent buildings may well follow. pic.twitter.com/hwbMI2RmSr |
| There was just an explosion on 2nd avenue and 7th street east village pic.twitter.com/jvSbfdCSSe | There was just an explosion on 2nd avenue and 7th street east village pic.twitter.com/jvSbfdCSSe |
| Possible gas leak on 2nd Avenue & 7th street causes explosion #EastVillage pic.twitter.com/gmBCpDmScB | Possible gas leak on 2nd Avenue & 7th street causes explosion #EastVillage pic.twitter.com/gmBCpDmScB |
| Jana Kasperkevic contributed reporting |