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Photo: The Canadian PressFirefighters battle a fire after a building collapses in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York, Wednesday, March 12, 2014 (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
HORROR IN HARLEM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Flames and smoke were sent billowing into the air after an explosion leveled two buildings in East Harlem Wednesday, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others.
Speaking from the scene, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the explosion appeared to be caused by a gas leak.
“This is a tragedy of the worst kind,” he said.
He said the “only indication of danger” came about 15 minutes before the blast, which happened around 9:15 a.m. on Park Avenue at 116th Street.
Con Edison said crews were already responding to the area on a report of a gas odor when the explosion occurred.
PHOTOS: Harlem Explosion | Watch Live
“The call came in at 9:13 a.m. from a resident who reported smelling gas inside the apartment, but the resident indicated the odor may have been coming from outside the building,” Con Ed spokesman Sydney Alvarez said. “Two Con Edison crews were dispatched at about 9:15 a.m. and arrived just after the explosion occurred.”
Alvarez said the street is served by an eight-inch low-pressure gas main and that crews are checking gas lines and other structures for any possible leaks.
Police said two women were killed in the blast and at least 18 others were injured. Harlem Hospital said it received five patients with serious trauma. Mount Sinai Hospital is also treating several patients.
De Blasio said there are also a number people still missing from the blast, but said some may have fled to safety. He said once the fire is out, a thorough search will be conducted for anyone who may be trapped in the rubble.
“Our hearts go out to all the families involved,” he said. “We are spending every effort to locate each and every loved one.”
He said a hotline was being set up. In the meantime, he said worried relatives can call 311.
Video from the scene showed huge flames and heavy smoke as hundreds of firefighters battled the five-alarm blaze. Debris and rubble could be seen scattered all over the area.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion.
“I was home and then next thing you know I’m laying down and I hear this big explosion. I came out, looked up and a building was just gone,” eyewitness Mack Mayor told CBS 2. “It’s just like a war zone out here.”
“The smoke started to rise. It looked like something fell because it wasn’t like a fire. It just looked like debris smoke, similar to 9/11,” said witness Samuel Paul, who was on the 15th floor of a building on 125th Street.
The two collapsed buildings, 1644 and 1646 Park Avenue, were both five-stories. One of the buildings had a piano repair shop with apartments above. The second building housed a church.
Carmen Vargas-Rosa, who owns the church, said she smelled gas Tuesday night.
“Last night when we came out of church, at the corner outside in the street there was a smell of gas,” she said. “It would come and go, so I thought it was from the corner store there so I went to the owners and told them and they said they would look into it and then we went home.”
It’s unclear if anyone was inside the buildings at the time of the explosion, but Vargas-Rosa said four of her tenants who live above the church are unaccounted for.
“One of them was off from work so most likely she was in the building,” Vargas-Rosa said. “We have a mother who has a sick son, so unless they were at an appointment in the hospital, they may have been in the explosion and then we have a young man and his wife who go to school late so they may have been sleeping and we can’t reach them.”
The NYPD says there is no indication of terrorism at this point, but the bomb squad and the FBI are both on the scene.
Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano said fire marshals are also on site and will determine what sparked the blast.
CBS 2’s Don Champion said it appears crews have been flying a drone over the area.
“We’ve been seeing a drone flying above the building and around the area,” Champion reported. “We assume that it is investigators getting a better vantage point of some of the damage that’s been done by this explosion.”
Metro-North said the explosion happened adjacent to their tracks. Service in and out of Grand Central Terminal is suspended until further notice.
The Red Cross has set up a reception area with food and water at nearby PS 157 for affected residents and their families.
ALSO:
Man (Allegedly) Pilots Drone Over Harlem Explosion Site (PICTURES)
“Is there a drone flying over the explosion site in Harlem?” quizzed Gizmondo in a Wednesday morning headline after a small black object was captured on camera hovering above the smoking ruins. Yes – it appears there was, according to reporters from the Animal New York website, who captured these photos of Brian Wilson, the pilot of a DJI quadcopter, which he said was capable of flying to a height of 1,400 feet. Wilson was taking pictures to sell to a news outlet, but he cryptically revealed: “I got some good shots that ain’t nobody getting.” The suburb of Harlem was rocked on Wednesday morning after a building collapsed close to 116th Street and Park. Two people have reportedly died with many more thought to be injured.
Photo: CTV
New York City firefighters respond to the fire in Manhattan, Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
The New York City Fire Department says it is investigating reports of a possible building collapse in Manhattan. Early reports suggest that 11 people have sustained minor injuries.
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