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| New York fire crews rush to battle fire at East Village building collapse | New York fire crews rush to battle fire at East Village building collapse |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| At least three people were critically injured in a massive fire and partial building collapse in the wake of an explosion at a Manhattan building on Thursday. | |
| Hundreds of firefighters were on the scene in the neighborhood near New York University, where witnesses reported hearing an explosion around 3:15pm ET shortly before flames broke out at a five-story residential building near Second Avenue and Seventh Street. A Guardian reporter saw thick, yellow and white smoke was rising rapidly from the top of the building, which appeared to have partially collapsed. | |
| The fire department had no information on the cause of the fire, but the New York Times reported the department had told them there was some evidence of a gas leak. A spokesman for Con Edison utility company told Reuters gas supplies were being cut to nearby buildings as a precaution. | |
| “This is being considered a major emergency,” a fire department spokeswoman said. | “This is being considered a major emergency,” a fire department spokeswoman said. |
| 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.” |
| The reported address for the building is that of a Japanese restaurant. Reuters reported the five-story building housed 26 apartments and was built in 1900. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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.” |
| #BREAKING: Aerial view of building collapse @NYPD9Pct. Numerous rescue units on scene #SOD #ESU #K9 #Aviation #FD pic.twitter.com/d9iX4GOBUd | |
| 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.” | “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. | “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. |
| The area is at the heart of the east village, with blocks of five-story buildings, most with businesses on the ground floor including Indian restaurants, real estate offices and clothing stores. | |
| 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. A light rain had begun to fall around 5pm. | |
| 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 | Jana Kasperkevic contributed reporting |