NEW YORK — At least three people were seriously injured Thursday night in an explosion at a Brooklyn home, fire officials said.
It happened in a two-story home on East 37th Street, between Farragut Road and Foster Avenue in Flatbush.
Police said they received multiple reports of an explosion in a basement around 8:30 p.m. About 20 New York City fire trucks responded to the scene.
2 people injured in Brooklyn basement explosion
FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Currao said that when crews arrived, they found two victims outside and two victims on the top floor of the building. Currao said there was glass everywhere in the street and there was obvious structural damage to the building.
“A fairly powerful explosion that ripped right through the house and also caused significant damage to the rear of the house,” Currao said.
Currao said three victims suffered serious injuries: Two victims were taken to a local hospital with burns and possible respiratory injuries, and a third victim was taken to a local hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises. A fourth victim was treated at the scene.
Officials concerned about stability of Brooklyn building after basement explosion
According to Currao, one of their biggest concerns is the structural stability of the building.
“Very bad damage. Windows blown out. The back, the structural part of the building, was actually damaged and blown out. A very large type of explosion,” he said.
Currao said the two buildings attached to the house where the explosion occurred were evacuated as a precaution and gas was turned off to four buildings in the block.
The fire chief also said they have asked the building management department to investigate the integrity of the buildings, as firefighters have raised concerns.
The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time. The fire chief is on site to investigate.
Neighbors say they smelled gas after the explosion
Neighbors told CBS News New York’s Ali Bauman that they heard and felt a huge bang and then smelled gas in the air.
“I heard a loud bang. I thought it was a truck hitting the building, but I saw my neighbor’s front door right in the middle of the sidewalk and that was the moment to get away,” said one neighbor.
“We ran out of the house and saw people gathering on the street, and there was smoke coming from this direction. So when we ran to the house to see what was happening, we saw the two victims just stumbling out of the house,” said another neighbor.
