One person is dead and at least seven people were injured – including three police officers – when a three-story home collapsed in a gas explosion fire in the Bronx on Tuesday morning – just one week after another massive blaze killed 17 people in Bronx apartment building three miles away.
More than 100 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to reports of a gas explosion and two-alarm fire on Intervale Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx in New York City, at around 11am.
Crews were seen desperately trying to get the blaze under control before the three-story home collapsed.
One person has died in the fire, according to New York 1 News, with the New York Police Department saying an 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital.
Additionally, New York 1 reports, a 77-year-old is in critical condition and a 68 year old female was transported to Lincoln Hospital with smoke inhalation.
At least nine people have been injured in the fire, including five police officers, and eight were taken to the hospital. CBS 2 News reports that at least one of the injuries is serious.
The NYPD also reports that five officers are being treated for smoke inhalation.
One person remained unaccounted for Tuesday afternoon, but officials believe that individual may have been on vacation and are now trying to track them down.
Newly-installed Mayor Eric Adams is expected to hold a press briefing about the fire at 2.45pm.
A two-alarm fire broke out in a residential three-story building in the Bronx on Tuesday morning, apparently due to a gas explosion
At least 100 fire officials and members of the NYPD were on the scene of the blaze Tuesday morning
Hundreds of FDN personnel responded to the scene of the fire in a residential neighborhood of the Bronx
The street, which was closed to allow fire crews to tackle the blaze, was filled with smoke after the morning fire
Fire officials blocked off the area surrounding the fire on Tuesday as they worked to get it under control
The three-story home completely collapsed after the suspected gas explosion and house fire
More than 100 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to reports of a gas explosion and two-alarm fire on Intervale Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx in New York City, at around 11am. Crews were seen desperately trying to get the blaze under control before the three-story home collapsed
The three-story home collapsed in the flames, likely sparked by a gas explosion
At least nine people have been injured in the fire, and were taken to the hospital. CBS 2 News reports that at least one of the injuries is serious
Smoke continued to fill the air into Tuesday afternoon, and nearby streets were blocked off
Smoke continued to fill the air into Tuesday afternoon, and nearby streets were blocked off, according to FOX 5 News.
Fire officials told DailyMail.com they first received a call about an explosion at a private dwelling just before 11am, before spreading to a nearby home. They are now classifying the fire as a ‘major emergency.’
Residents on social media likened the explosion Tuesday morning to an earthquake, with one woman who said she lives across the street saying her television fell off the wall as the fire started.
Another neighbor told CBS 2: ‘I was in my room, and my mom was the one that came to my room, yelling, like, “Oh my God, I felt the room shake. Something must’ve happened.”‘
‘It’s really sad. You know, people lost their homes.’
The son of one of the victims also told the New York Daily News his mother and aunt were inside the building at the time of the blast and he was now waiting at the hospital for any word on their condition.
‘Imagine getting a call out of the blue to find out you could be losing your mom and auntie,’ he said.
After fire officials arrived on the scene and began to douse the fire, the Daily News reports, the building started to collapse, with the front façade falling onto a gray SUV parked outside.
At one point, the firefighters were ordered to back out of the building to douse it from the outside out of fear that it may again collapse.
There were also reports that a resident may have been trapped inside the building when the explosion occurred, according to the Daily News, but initial searches of the rubble have not uncovered any additional victims.
Residents of nearby buildings were evacuated to a local church.
Firefighters were seen aiding victims and neighbors, directing them to a nearby church
Shortly after fire officials arrived on the scene, the front facade of the building collapsed
The facade of the building and most of the interior were completely destroyed in the fire
Firefighters were told to continue battling the fire from outside in case there was another collapse
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze into Tuesday afternoon
Smoke billowed throughout the sky as trucks blocked drivers from entering the scene
The remains of the residential three-story building are pictured here. The Department of Buildings is now investigating the fire and the building collapse
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who represents the area, suggested on Twitter that the fire erupted from a gas explosion, noting he will remain on the scene as fire officials continue to battle the blaze.
A spokesperson for Con Edison confirmed to 1010 WINS investigators were on the scene, but would not confirm whether a gas explosion was the cause.
The gas utility is now turning off service to the area, according to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, whose office is monitoring the situation, and Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesperson for the company told FOX News is a ‘large debris field that the fire department will need to’ sort through in order to determine the cause.
Department of Building inspectors were also on the scene to investigate the fire and building collapse.
NYPD investigators will now work with the Fire Marshal to determine the cause of the blast. So far, there is no indication of any criminality involved.
Gas emanated through the windows of nearby houses on Intervale Avenue
Fire officials remained on the scene as they tried to battle the blaze
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who represents the area, suggested the fire began from a gas explosion, and said he will remain on the scene to get answers
The fire comes just over one week after another large fire in the Bronx killed 17 people in an apartment building just three miles away.
Fire experts, attributing smoke to the fatalities, believe a self-closing door in the Twin Parks North West complex may have malfunctioned, allowing the smoke to spread through the building. They believe the fire was caused by a faulty space heater.
‘The fire was contained to the hallway just outside this two-story apartment, but the smoke travelled throughout the building and the smoke is what caused the deaths and the serious injuries,’ Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said during a press conference last Monday.
Fire Marshals have ruled the fire ‘accidental,’ noting that it was caused by a malfunctioning space heater and that a ‘smoke alarm was present and operational’.
A New York City official, who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, revealed fire marshals suspect the space heater had been running uninterrupted for multiple days. According to a list of resident maintenance requests shared online, building received at least four complaints last year of units being without heat.
It is unclear if the unit where the fire started was having an issue with heat.
