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| New York City building fire and collapse leaves three people critically injured | New York City building fire and collapse leaves three people critically injured |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A suspected gas leak caused a major explosion in downtown New York City on Thursday afternoon that set a row of residential buildings on fire, causing two to partially collapse and leaving at least 12 people injured. | A suspected gas leak caused a major explosion in downtown New York City on Thursday afternoon that set a row of residential buildings on fire, causing two to partially collapse and leaving at least 12 people injured. |
| Three people were in critical condition following the blast, according to the mayor’s office. | Three people were in critical condition following the blast, according to the mayor’s office. |
| Rescue crews responding to reports of people possibly trapped on upper floors of the buildings converged quickly after the first reports of the disaster at about 3.20pm ET. | Rescue crews responding to reports of people possibly trapped on upper floors of the buildings converged quickly after the first reports of the disaster at about 3.20pm ET. |
| Twenty minutes later, firefighters on ladders poured water on flames leaping as high as three stories from the roof of the buildings, on Second Avenue near the corner of Seventh Street. A column of white and yellow smoke billowed above. | Twenty minutes later, firefighters on ladders poured water on flames leaping as high as three stories from the roof of the buildings, on Second Avenue near the corner of Seventh Street. A column of white and yellow smoke billowed above. |
| “Preliminary evidence suggests a gas-related explosion,” Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a news conference near the scene just more than two hours after the first reports. “That investigation is ongoing. The initial impact appears to have been caused by plumbing and gas work that was occurring inside 121 2nd Avenue.” | “Preliminary evidence suggests a gas-related explosion,” Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a news conference near the scene just more than two hours after the first reports. “That investigation is ongoing. The initial impact appears to have been caused by plumbing and gas work that was occurring inside 121 2nd Avenue.” |
| Related: New York City fire destroys Manhattan buildings – in pictures | Related: New York City fire destroys Manhattan buildings – in pictures |
| Two employees of North Star Tattoo, a nearby business, told the Guardian they saw workers from a Japanese restaurant that was in the ground floor of one of the buildings running up a building fire escape and pulling “at least five” people from windows. | Two employees of North Star Tattoo, a nearby business, told the Guardian they saw workers from a Japanese restaurant that was in the ground floor of one of the buildings running up a building fire escape and pulling “at least five” people from windows. |
| “The Japanese workers at the restaurant? They were climbing the building trying to get people out,” said one employee who did not want to give her name. “The outside of the building.” | “The Japanese workers at the restaurant? They were climbing the building trying to get people out,” said one employee who did not want to give her name. “The outside of the building.” |
| A “majority of people” living in the residential buildings “self-evacuated”, and no firefighters were injured, De Blasio said, adding that there were “no reports of additional missing persons.” | A “majority of people” living in the residential buildings “self-evacuated”, and no firefighters were injured, De Blasio said, adding that there were “no reports of additional missing persons.” |
| A gas explosion in a building in East Harlem, in northern Manhattan, in March 2014 left eight people dead. | A gas explosion in a building in East Harlem, in northern Manhattan, in March 2014 left eight people dead. |
| Workers with ConEdison, the gas and electric utility, had visited the Second Avenue site just more than an hour before the suspected explosion to inspect gas work being conducted by a private company, de Blasio said. The new instillation did not pass inspection, he said, but there were no reports of a gas leak at the site. | Workers with ConEdison, the gas and electric utility, had visited the Second Avenue site just more than an hour before the suspected explosion to inspect gas work being conducted by a private company, de Blasio said. The new instillation did not pass inspection, he said, but there were no reports of a gas leak at the site. |
| “Until we know what happened here we cannot pass judgement,” the mayor said. | “Until we know what happened here we cannot pass judgement,” the mayor said. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Flames leapt as high as three stories from the roofs of the building about a half hour after the explosion was reported. | Flames leapt as high as three stories from the roofs of the building about a half hour after the explosion was reported. |
| A woman who was working in the back of The Moonstruck restaurant two blocks 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 two blocks 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. |
| Police cordoned off a ten-block-long portion of the avenue. Firefighters strung hoses down entire blocks in side streets on either side of the avenue, which was filled with emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Hundreds of onlookers milled around the scene. | Police cordoned off a ten-block-long portion of the avenue. Firefighters strung hoses down entire blocks in side streets on either side of the avenue, which was filled with emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Hundreds of onlookers milled around the scene. |
| About 250 firefighters responded to the scene, the mayor said. | About 250 firefighters responded to the scene, the mayor said. |
| The tattoo parlor employees said that after they felt the explosion, they saw firemen on top of the building communicating with firemen on the ground. | The tattoo parlor employees said that after they felt the explosion, 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,” one said. “There were firefighters on the roof waving at the other guys to get them down because they knew it was going to go up.” | “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,” one said. “There were firefighters on the roof waving at the other guys to get them down because they knew it was going to go up.” |
| The area is at the heart of the East Village, with blocks of five-story buildings, most comprising four stories of residences with businesses on the ground floor including Indian restaurants, real estate offices and clothing stores. | |
| Jana Kasperkevic contributed reporting | Jana Kasperkevic contributed reporting |